General John Allen, the man in charge of running the war in Afghanistan, apparently sent 30,000 emails to Florida socialite Jill Kelley and many of them were inappropriate. Sources have told Fox News the content of those emails was essentially the same thing as digital phone sex.
American commander in Afghanistan Gen. John Allen, facing an internal investigation for "inappropriate communications" with a woman at the heart of the David Petraeus controversy, engaged in much more than "flirtatious" behavior, sources tell Fox News -- with one official even likening the email exchanges to "phone sex."
The investigation focuses on emails between Allen and Jill Kelley, a close friend of the Petraeus family. Kelley was the woman who originally notified the FBI when she received threatening emails from Petraeus' mistress Paula Broadwell -- and that investigation later uncovered the affair.
One senior defense official initially described the nature of the communications between Allen and Kelley as "flirtatious." However, two U.S. officials later told Fox News that Allen's contact with Kelley was more than just general flirting. One official described some of the emails as sexually explicit and the “equivalent of phone sex over email.”
Not surprisingly, Allen doesn't believe he has done anything wrong. Under military code, adultery is a crime.
Adultery in the military is a violation of article 134 under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which deals with military members who “wrongfully had sexual intercourse with a certain person.”
Military defense lawyer Scott Jack, who says he has taken up at least 50 cases of military members accused of adultery in his 20-year career, says there are three tiers of punishment for this crime.
The first is being verbally reprimanded by a commanding officer, or having it put on one's permanent record.
If the crime is more serious, military personnel can have their paycheck docked or their rank reduced. They may not be able to leave base, and they may have extra chores.
In the most serious adultery cases, the accused will be court martialed, and if convicted, could lose all entitlements and benefits. Another punishment is being given a bad conduct or dishonorable discharge.
“The military holds people accountable for their actions,” said Jack.
Recommended
Although Allen and Kelley may not have had a physical affair, sending explicit messages to a woman you aren't married to is still adultery.
We've been in Afghanistan for 10 years and when our top General is too busy sexting instead of running a war, it only means we will be there longer and that more young men will lose their lives.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member