As Donald Trump cracks the knuckles of his tiny fingers and prepares to pick his Cabinet, one of the names in the running is David Petraeus. If Trump decides to pick Petraeus for this very important job, however, the former general will have to notify his probation officer within three days.
Petraeus was sentenced to two years’ probation in April 2015 for passing classified information to Paula Broadwell, who was at the time writing his biography and with whom he was also having an affair. That affair and its aftermath forced his resignation as director of the C.I.A in 2012.
This tidbit was discovered by The Hill, who notes that even if he is picked for Secretary of State, he’ll still be subject to the terms of his probation, including “warrantless searches” and allowing his probation officer to “access and review his computer and phone data at any point in time until the end of the sentence.” Wonderful news for national security, all around!
Technically, this could be resolved if Trump exercises his terrifying power as President and pardon Petraeus or commute his sentence, but that would really only serve to highlight his legal troubles instead of tamping them into submission—like he probably wants.
Still, Petraeus isn’t the worst choice—I guess—if you consider the others. The Atlantic seems to think that Trump “needs Petraeus,” and hey, maybe they’re right. Sure, he leaked classified information and was forced to resign from his position as head of the freaking C.I.A. as a result. But at least he has experience, is the thinking, and so with that in mind, we’re somewhat better off, maybe. Possibly. Who knows.
