By PIERRE THOMAS
Paula Broadwell, the author suspected of carrying on an affair with former CIA director David Petraeus, has been stripped of her military security clearance after a federal probe alleged she was storing classified military material at her home.
“Appropriate actions with regard to this officer’s clearance and access have been taken,” said Army spokesman George Wright of Broadwell, an Army reservist and West Point graduate.
The inquiry into Broadwell came as Petraeus, one of the country’s most decorated generals, was being pressed to appear before congressional committees to answer questions about the Sept. 11 terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. He was being asked to testify nearly a week after he publicly admitted to having an affair and resigning his post at the CIA.
This evening, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said Petraeus will appear behind closed doors to testify to the committee at 7:30 a.m. Friday.
Petraeus has been reluctant to testify following his resignation as CIA chief, but pressure has been growing in Congress for him to appear.
Petraeus also was being asked to appear before a Senate committee.
“Gen. Petraeus is willing to come before the committee and the details are being worked out,” Sen. Diane Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said today. No date for his testimony has been set.
On the Broadwell matter, a source familiar with the case told ABC News that Broadwell admitted to the FBI she took documents from secure government buildings. The government demanded that they all be given back, and federal agents descended on her North Carolina home on Monday night in pre-arranged visit.
Prosecutors were determining whether to charge Broadwell with a crime and this morning the FBI and military were poring over the material.