Paula Broadwell

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Paula Broadwell

Paula Dean Kranz Broadwell (born November 9, 1972)[1] is a military scholar, author, and Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve.[2] Paula Broadwell and Vernon Loeb are co-authors of the book All In: The Education of General David Petraeus. In connection with writing the biography Petraeus turned over a number of "Black Books" to Broadwell which contained highly classified information concerning intelligence operations in Afghanistan. In March 2015 the General pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of mishandling classified information.[3]

Life and career

Education

Paula Broadwell was born and grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, graduating from Century High School in 1991 where she was valedictorian and homecoming queen.[4] She is the daughter of Paul Kranz a retired Bismarck High School basketball coach, and Nadene Kranz originally from Boise, Idaho.[5] Nadene Kranz was active in the city’s arts community. They were married in 1965 and had three children: Stephen in 1966, Michael in 1968, and Paula in 1972. The Kranzs were divorced in 1981.[6]

After first applying to the Air Force Academy, Broadwell entered West Point, graduating in 1995. While at West Point she participated in a summer cadet exchange program in Israel.[7]

Military service

Broadwell served in the United States Army as a platoon leader attached to the Military Intelligence Corps on the Korean DMZ. Later assignments placed her in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She entered the Army Reserve but was recalled to duty three times after 9/11.[8] According to ABC News she spent some time in Black Ops with the Special Operations Command.[9]

Graduate studies

Broadwell earned a master degree from the University of Denver in International Security.[10] She has served as Director of the Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism Studies at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. She later entered the Ph.D. program at Department of War Studies at King's College London.

She has served with the U.S. intelligence community, U.S. Special Operations Command, and went undercover with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces.[11] At one point she considered a career move of joining the FBI.[12]

Graduate level scholarships in Arabic and Middle East studies led her abroad to speak at conferences in Jordan, Israel, and in Europe. It was during her graduate studies that led her to interview several terrorists.[13] Broadwell was offered a full doctoral scholarship and a fellowship from Harvard University for study in Syria and Iran.[14] The Washington Post has reported that Broadwell had been asked to withdraw from Harvard's PhD program, as her coursework reportedly did not meet the university's standards.

Petraeus biography

Paula Broadwell first met General Petraeus in the spring of 2006, when she was a graduate student at the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and asked if she could write his biography. She began her work on the biography in 2009 when he headed the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida. Later her research continued in Afghanistan where he was commander of all US troops.[15]

Broadwell visited Afghanistan six times, spending a total of three months there interviewing General Petraeus for hundreds of hours.[16] She published the biography All In with Vernon Loeb in 2012 and has appeared on several media outlets promoting their book.

FBI investigation and relationship with Petraeus

The FBI discovered the relationship when they were asked to investigate threatening emails received by woman close to General Petraeus. The anonymous emails were reportedly traced back to Paula Broadwell and led to the discovery of explicit e-mails between the General and the biographer. The woman who contacted the FBI is reported to be Mrs. Jill Kelley of Tampa, Florida.[17]

Broadwell visited General Petraeus in his office at CIA headquarters. At times the two appeared together at public functions as a couple sparking rumors of a relationship.[18] Broadwell would often boast of her high security clearance at public events.[19]

It is unclear when the affair began. If General Petraeus committed adultery when he was in command in Afghanistan he could be court-martialed.[20] One report indicated he ended the relationship before he became the head of the CIA.[21]

Benghazi attacks and FBI raid

On October 26, 2012, Paula Broadwell addressed the University of Denver Alumni Symposium. In a response to a question on the Benghazi attacks that led to the death of an American ambassador and CIA security forces, Broadwell said Delta Force could have arrived in time to reinforce the CIA annex. She also revealed the CIA had taken a couple of militia members prisoner earlier that day and this may have been the reason for the attack. Broadwell said General Petraeus was in contact with the CIA station chief in Libya and was aware of these developments within 24 hours. In the recorded video, Broadwell seem to be most upset with the partisan political aspects of the Benghazi situation.[22]

As a result of these revelations the FBI raided her home and found substantial classified information on her computer.[23] A few days later the US Army suspended her military security clearance.

Personal life and family

Paula Broadwell is married to Dr. Scott Broadwell, an interventional radiologist. They have two sons, Lucien and Landon, and have resided in Dilworth--a historic district of Charlotte, North Carolina since 2009. The two first met while training to become members of a ski patrol in Germany.[24]

Her brother, Stephen P. Kranz, is an attorney with Sutherland's Tax Practice Group in Washington DC.[25]

One of Paula Broadwell's favorite books is The Celestine Prophesy.

Her long-term goal is to become an ambassador or National Security Advisor.[26]

Notes

  1. Double amputee jumps into a brave new life
  2. Charlotte author Paula Broadwell linked to David Petraeus as he resigns
  3. Former CIA Head David Petraeus to Plead Guilty
  4. Academics - Paula Broadwell ( Kranz)
  5. Woman who allegedly had affair with Petraeus has N.D. background
  6. Paula Broadwell’s life took shape in N. Dakota
  7. Honored Role (part 15): Paula Broadwell – Arc of a Driver
  8. Paula Broadwell: Petraeus' biographer a military reservist, scholar
  9. Paula Broadwell, David Petraeus' Alleged Mistress, Embedded With Him for 1 Year in Afghanistan
  10. Broadwell fell short of aims at Harvard
  11. Stormfront post 59
  12. Paula Broadwell, FBI Agent?
  13. Paula Broadwell interview
  14. Stormfront post 45
  15. With Paula Broadwell, Gen. David Petraeus let his guard down
  16. Charlotte author chronicles Gen. Petraeus' war career
  17. Jill Kelley, State Dept. liaison, is mystery woman Paula Broadwell harassed via email leading to FBI probe
  18. Broadwell, Petraeus attended Oct. 27 OSS Society dinner as couple
  19. Official: Harassing emails led to FBI probe
  20. Petraeus admits affair, quits as CIA director
  21. David Petraeus scandal grows: Mistress, Paula Broadwell, sent menacing e-mails to mystery woman she feared threatened affair
  22. University of Denver Alumni Symposium 2012--Paula Broadwell Video 34:45
  23. Petraeus talks at last and says no classified info shared with 'mistress' Paula Broadwell
  24. David Petraeus scandal grows: Mistress, Paula Broadwell, sent menacing e-mails to mystery woman she feared threatened affair
  25. Twitter feed March 8 and 9, 2012
  26. Alumni Symposium 2012 Paula Broadwell

External links

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