David Petraeus’ former mistress said Thursday “it was a little bit of a shocker” to find out that President-elect Donald Trump was considering the retired general for Secretary of State.
“As I woke up to the news, it was little bit of a shocker that he was being considering for a Cabinet position,” Paula Broadwell told CBS’s Norah O’Donnell on “This Morning.”
Broadwell said it wasn’t her place to say whether Petraeus should be tapped for the administration. “I think the President-elect would have to decide,” she said.
After resigning as CIA director in November 2012, Petraeus was convicted of a misdemeanor in 2015 for sharing classified information with Broadwell, his biographer.
Critics question whether Petraeus, who is still on probation, will be able to get the security clearance needed to be confirmed.
Trump and Republican lawmakers consistently painted Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as unfit for the presidency for her own mishandling of classified material while secretary of state.
Trump is also reportedly considering Exxon Mobil Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson, 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to be the country’s top diplomat, among other names that have been mentioned.
While Petraeus is being considered for a Cabinet post, Broadwell described her own employment situation as “tenuous.”
“I was both shocked that I’m still in this tenuous position and yet happy because I think he should be able to go on with his life. I think he’s earned it,” she said. “But then it begged the question: Why shouldn’t I be able to go on?”
The West Point and Harvard graduate said she’s missed employment opportunities — including at a prominent bank — because of her role in the scandal.
“I think I was qualified for this position, but I was told by the military recruiter that it would be front page news if I got hired at the bank and the bank didn’t want to deal with that,” she told CBS.
