Retired General David Petraeus pleaded guilty in Charlotte last week to leaking classified materials to his mistress and biographer. The sentencing report, which is typically public, was sealed in Petraeus' case. The Charlotte Observer, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, New York Times, NPR, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal joined together to request the documents be made public.
Retired General David Petraeus pleaded guilty last week to a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized retention and removal of classified documents in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. Magistrate Judge David Keesler sentenced him to two years probation and levied a $100,000 fine. Petraeus had shared the information with his former mistress, who was also his biographer.
On Monday a coalition of nine media outlets, including The Charlotte Observer, Associated Press, Bloomberg, The New York Times, NPR, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and First Look Media, filed a request with the court to unseal Petraeus’ sentencing report as well as several letters of support. A local rule that is unique to the Western District of North Carolina allows the sealing of documents that refer to a presentence investigative report, an attorney for the Reporters Committee told The Charlotte Observer. In other districts the sentencing report is routinely made public.
Read the Observer‘s coverage here.