Citing privacy concerns, the Pentagon has refused to release details of its investigation into the relationship between Marine Gen. John R. Allen and Jill Kelley, a Tampa socialite with whom he exchanged emails and other documents.
The Washington Post reported Tuesday the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General formally declined a Freedom of Information Act request from the newspaper concerning the probe. The denial of records in the case came in the form of an email dated Feb. 15 that wasn't delivered until Monday.
The inspector general also turned down requests for records from several other media organizations.
Allen announced plans to retire last week, turning down a chance to become NATO’s supreme military commander in Europe. Allen cited a desire to spend more time with his wife as the basis for his decision to end a 37-year military career, the last 19 months of which were spent leading U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The correspondence between Allen and Kelley surfaced during an FBI investigation of threatening emails sent to Kelley that eventually revealed an affair between CIA Director David H. Petraeus and his biographer. Petraeus resigned from the CIA last November.
Allen was cleared last month of any wrongdoing, but the investigation was suspected of influencing his decision to resign because it would likely have surfaced during his Senate confirmation hearings for the top NATO military job.
A spokesman for the inspector general’s office told the Post that the details of investigations of senior Pentagon officials are generally not released unless misconduct is discovered.
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