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Paula Broadwell points to double standard in potential Petraeus Cabinet spot

By Andrew V. Pestano
Paula Broadwell, seen alongside retired four-star Gen. David Petraeus, said she wants to "fight back for my life" after seeing Petraeus become a leading candidate for Secretary of State in President-elect Donald Trump's administration. She said her life has been put on hold while Petraeus' seems to have recovered. File Photo by UPI/ISAF
Paula Broadwell, seen alongside retired four-star Gen. David Petraeus, said she wants to "fight back for my life" after seeing Petraeus become a leading candidate for Secretary of State in President-elect Donald Trump's administration. She said her life has been put on hold while Petraeus' seems to have recovered. File Photo by UPI/ISAF | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Paula Broadwell, the woman with whom former CIA director and retired four-star Gen. David Petraeus admitted to having an affair and sharing classified information, said she wants to "fight back for my life" after seeing Petraeus' career potentially recover while her own is on hold.

Broadwell served 21 years in the U.S. military and 13 years in the Army Reserves. She was demoted from lieutenant colonel to major after she and Petraeus admitted to the affair. The military also removed her of her top secret security clearance and formally reprimanded her.

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In April 2015, Petraeus was sentenced to two years probation and a $100,000 fine after delivering a guilty plea of mishandling classified information for sharing government secrets with Broadwell.

She also resigned, but her resignation has not been approved by the Department of Defense. Though Broadwell's career has been seemingly frozen, Petraeus' seems to have recovered despite the fact they both were involved in the same scandal. Petraeus is a leading candidate to serve in Donald Trump's administration.

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"I've been strongly advised to not talk to the press, and I understand that. Sometimes it's better to remain silent. I've had that philosophy for the last five years," Broadwell told CBS This Morning. "But I -- I've reached a point where I feel like, 'You know what? I need to fight back for my life.'"

Despite Petraeus' admission of guilt to a federal offense -- and the portrayal by Republicans, including President-elect Trump, that Hillary Clinton was unfit for the presidency due to her own scandal involving mishandling of classified material -- Petraeus seems to be a leading candidate to serve as Secretary of State for Trump's Cabinet.

"As I woke up to the news, you know, it was a bit of a shocker that he was being considered for a Cabinet position, and I was -- I was both shocked that I'm still in this tenuous position, and yet happy because I think he should be able to go on with his life. He's earned it, and so should his family," Broadwell said. "But then it begged the question of, 'Why shouldn't I be able to go on?'"

Petraeus was the most celebrated general in the post-Sept. 11 era, leading troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. On Sept. 6, 2011, he was sworn in as the Central Intelligence Agency director. A little more than a year later, he resigned. While he originally cited personal reasons for his departure, he later admitted to an affair with Broadwell, his biographer.

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Since his retirement, Petraeus has been a visiting professor at universities, and served as chairman for a non-profit organization and an investment firm.

Broadwell said she has been repeatedly denied jobs because of the scandal -- all while Petraeus' career has been salvaged.

She said she was denied a position at a prominent bank.

"So I think I was qualified for this position. But I was told by the military recruiter that it would be front page news if I got hired at the bank, and the bank wouldn't want to deal with that," Broadwell said. "And I realized that's probably true, but it was hard to stomach at the time ... I have a degree from the University of Denver in international conflict resolution. I have a degree from Harvard in public policy."

Broadwell said what she wants is equality.

"I thought earlier this year when David Petraeus was pardoned, for lack of a better word, that I would hear something soon. And so, it's 10 months later and I'm hopeful that the end is here," Broadwell said.

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