Three years after Gen. David Petraeus resigned as CIA director and apologized to Congress for an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell now asks, “how long does a person pay for their mistake?”
“I’m the first to admit I screwed up. Really badly, I know that,” Broadwell told the New York Times in a profile published Saturday.
An FBI investigation in 2012 revealed that Petraeus had an affair with Broadwell, who had co-authored the four-star general’s biography, “All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.” Petraeus was later sentenced to two years' probation and fined after pleading guilty to mishandling classified information, some of which he had shared with Broadwell.
The Times’ profile contrasts Broadwell's struggle to return to a life of normalcy against Petraeus' efforts to bounce back from his fall from a storied military career, including leading the so-called "surge" strategy in Iraq in 2007.
Broadwell told the Times she keeps busy by volunteering for advocacy groups as well as for women in combat, being particularly active in a group called West Point Women. Broadwell was married at the time of the affair, and she and her husband are still together. They have two young boys.
Petraeus frequently publishes opinion pieces in prominent publications, and is affiliated with three universities, the Times reported. He was mentioned as a potential draft challenger for an outside party bid for the 2016 presidency in a column published in the Washington Post, among others.
Broadwell has attempted to convince the Associated Press to not use the word “mistress,” suggesting some words reflect mistakes made by two people, not just one. This, she said, has given her a reason to help others.
“On the one hand, I don’t want to define myself by this. But on the other hand, I’ve been defined by this,” she said. “So if I can change things for the better because of it, then why not?”
