Pentagon to keep Gen. John R. Allen probe a secret [View all]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/pentagon-to-keep-gen-john-r-allen-probe-a-secret/2013/02/25/cc8c0938-7f89-11e2-b948-9fe1f979ed17_story.html



Former Marine Gen. John Allen speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon March 26, 2012. President Barack Obama says he has accepted Allen’s request to retire from military.

Pentagon to keep Gen. John R. Allen probe a secret
By Craig Whitlock, Published: February 25

The Pentagon has decided to keep secret the details of its investigation into Marine Gen. John R. Allen, the former commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, citing privacy concerns.

The Defense Department Office of the Inspector General formally denied a request from The Washington Post, filed under the Freedom of Information Act, to disclose records of its probe into Allen’s relationship with Jill Kelley, a Tampa socialite with whom he exchanged thousands of pages of e-mails and other documents.

The denial was dated Feb. 15, although it was not delivered to The Post until Monday. Defense Department officials said requests made by several other media organizations had also been rejected.

Allen announced last week that he would retire from the military, turning down an offer from President Obama to become NATO’s supreme military commander for Europe. Allen said he wanted to spend more time with his ailing wife after a 37-year career in the armed forces, including the last 19 months as commander in Afghanistan.