Different Laws For Different U.S. Government Officials Who Mishandle Classified Information?

Josh Rogin, Washington Post: General Cartwright is paying the price for Hillary Clinton’s sins

The Obama administration Justice Department has investigated three senior officials for mishandling classified information over the past two years but only one faces a felony conviction, possible jail time and a humiliation that will ruin his career: former Joint Chiefs of Staff vice chairman General James E. Cartwright. The FBI’s handling of the case stands in stark contrast to its treatment of Hillary Clinton and retired General David Petraeus — and it reeks of political considerations.

Monday marked a stunning fall from grace for Cartwright, the man once known as “Obama’s favorite general,” who pleaded guilty to the felony charge of lying to the FBI during its investigation into the leaking of classified information about covert operations against Iran to two journalists. His lawyer Greg Craig said in a statement that Cartwright spoke with David Sanger of the New York Times and Dan Klaidman of Newsweek as a confirming source for stories they had already reported, in an effort to prevent the publication of harmful national security secrets.

Under his plea deal, Cartwright could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Last year, Petraeus cut a deal with the Justice Department after admitting he had lied to the FBI and passed hundreds of highly classified documents to his biographer and mistress Paula Broadwell. He pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor of mishandling classified information and was sentenced to two years probation and a $100,000 fine.

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Previous Post: Former Vice Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs of Staff To Plead Guilty On Making False Statements In Leak Probe (September 17, 2016)

WNU Editor: I am sure there are other reasons on why he was charged and why he pleaded out .... but from the outside looking in there appears to be a double standard at play.

Former Vice Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs of Staff To Plead Guilty On Making False Statements In Leak Probe

General James E. Cartwright, former USMC vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. REUTERS/Hyungwon Kang

Reuters: Retired U.S. general charged with lying to FBI in 'Stuxnet' leak case

A retired U.S. Marine Corps general who last served as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has been charged with making false statements to the FBI during an investigation into leaks of classified information, according to a federal indictment released on Monday.

Four-star General James Cartwright was questioned by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2012 over a book written by New York Times' reporter David Sanger, which exposed a malicious computer software program known as "Stuxnet" designed to disrupt Iran's nuclear program.

Reuters and several other news outlets have previously reported that Stuxnet was developed jointly by U.S. and Israeli forces. Both the U.S. and Israel have never publicly admitted responsibility for Stuxnet.

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WNU Editor: Wow.

More News On Former Vice Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General James Cartwright To Plead Guilty On Making False Statements In Leak Probe

Former Joint Chiefs of Staff vice chairman to plead to false statements in classified leak, court files show -- Washington Post
Ex-Joint Chiefs vice chairman charged with lying in Stuxnet leak investigation -- Politico
Retired general charged with false statements in leak probe -- CBS/AP
Obama’s General’ Charged With Leaking Classified Info to Journalists -- Daily Beast

The Fall Of President Obama's Favorite General

Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., Dec. 3, 2010. U.S. Army photo by D. Myles Cullen

Obama's Favorite General Stripped of His Security Clearance -- Gordon Lubold, The Cable/Foreign Policy

The Defense Department has stripped Gen. James "Hoss" Cartwright of his security clearance, depriving the man once known as "Obama's favorite general" access to classified data as the investigation into leaks of national security secrets continues.

Multiple current and former administration sources told FP that Cartwright, the former vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lost his clearance earlier this year. It was an indicator that that government officials might, in some way, consider his ongoing access to secrets a national security risk while he was under investigation by the Department of Justice for possibly leaking sensitive information about the Stuxnet computer virus. And, it presents challenges for a man who has been working to shore up his image since retiring in 2011.

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Update: 'Obama's Favorite General' Stripped Of Security Clearance Amid Leak Investigation -- Business Insider

Previous Posts:

The Obama Administration's Infighting Suddenly Goes Public
Justice Department Investigating Ex-Vice Chairman Of Joint Chiefs Of Staff Over Critical Intelligence Leak
Did Four-Star Gen. James Cartwright Leak The Stuxnet Virus Story?

My Comment: A retired four-star General does not have his security clearance revoked unless there is some trouble afoot. It appears that his military career is over and his legal troubles are about to explode.

Why Was Marine Gen. Cartwright Not Chosen As The New Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff?

Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington, D.C., Dec. 3, 2010. U.S. Army photo by D. Myles Cullen

General's Role Did Not Cost Him Joint Chiefs Post, Gates Says -- L.A. Times

Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Gen. James Cartwright was accused of circumventing the chain of command during 2009 administration talks on troop levels in Afghanistan. But that was not a factor in his not getting the top job, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates says.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Wednesday dismissed as "garbage" reports that a senior Marine general was passed over to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff because of his back-channel role in the 2009 administration debate on sending additional troops to Afghanistan.

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More News On Why Gen. James Cartwright Was Not Chosen To Be The New Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs Of Staff

Gates: Debate over troop numbers didn't sink Cartwright's job chances -- Stars and Stripes
Gates denies US general punished for dissent -- AFP
Gates: Joint Chiefs Selection Was About Team-Building -- ABC
Gates Says Teamwork Was Key to Picking New Joint Chiefs Chairman -- Wall Street Journal
Gates says Obama put a premium on unity among national security aides -- Washington Post/AP
General Passed Over for Giving Obama Advice -- Truthdig
Cartwright, Geeks’ Best Pal, Is Out of Race for Top General -- The Danger Room

My Comment: Sounds like politics to me .... and ruffled feathers.