Socialite to sound off on Petraeus scandal?

JILL KELLEY, the Florida socialite who triggered the FBI probe that led David Petraeus to resign as CIA chief, is shopping "a tell-all book" about the sex scandal, according to the New York Post.

"Trust me, there is going to be a book in the New Year. You can count on it," said one of Kelley's friends, according to the London Daily Mail.

Actually, Kelley, who grew up in the Philadelphia area, might be out to prove she doesn't have much to tell, at least about military affairs of the kind that retired general Petraeus allegedly indulged in with biographer Paula Broadwell.

Partly by hosting parties, the married Kelley became a kind of social ambassador for nearby MacDill Air Force Base and got to know high-ranking military officers, including Petraeus and his successor in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen.

Reportedly, Broadwell suspected that Kelley was putting the moves on both generals, and sent emails threatening Kelly and warning Allen about her.

Alarmed, Kelley took the threats to the FBI, whose investigation led the married Petraeus to acknowledge an affair and resign from the CIA.

Numerous email exchanges between Kelley and Allen were also investigated, with some reports characterizing them as "inappropriate" and "flirtatious."

Allen's nomination to become NATO's supreme allied commander has since stalled, and early this week, Gen. Joseph Dunford assumed command of the forces in Afghanistan.

The Post, quoting unnamed "friends" of Kelley's, said the book would be " 'payback' for the public humiliation she's suffered as a result of the scandal."

Kelley, born Jill Khawam, grew up with twin sister Natalie and two older siblings in Northeast Philadelphia, later moved to Huntingdon Valley, and still lived in the area as a young adult.

Natalie, who got a graduate degree at Temple before becoming a lawyer, also got caught up in the scandal, with reports that she sought Petraeus' help in a custody battle. Natalie Kelley even hired noted celebrity attorney Gloria Allred to help deal with the media and supposed public misconceptions.