Army declines to punish Petraeus

The Army has recommended that David H. Petraeus, the retired general and former CIA director who quit in a scandal three years ago, not face any further punishment for having an affair with his biographer and providing her with top-secret materials, according to Pentagon officials.

The final decision on whether to discipline Petraeus under military law rests with Defense Secretary Ash Carter. While he could overrule the Army's recommendation, such a move would be unusual.

Peter Cook, the Pentagon press secretary, said Carter still has not formally received the Army's recommendation.

After a lengthy investigation by the FBI that disgraced the reputation of the military hero, Petraeus pleaded guilty in April in federal court in North Carolina to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified materials. He received two years' probation and a $100,000 fine.

Petraeus's civilian sentence, however, did not exempt him from further punishment at the hands of the military. As part of his plea deal with the Justice Department, he admitted in a signed statement that he had committed wrongdoing while he was still in the Army before he retired in 2011 to take charge of the CIA.