Charles Krauthammer: Petraeus ‘sex scandal’ will lead media to Benghazi

Friday, in discussion following General Petraeus’ abrupt resignation as director of the CIA, Dr. Charles Krauthammer offered his thoughts on what he considered a tragic end to the career of a “truly great American.” Then, Krauthammer followed up with a prediction: “In an odd way, and sort of a discouraging way, now that the story [Benghazi] is attached to a sex scandal, it will become a story that will be pursued by the media as was not pursued before.”

Krauthammer’s prediction was made amid rampant speculation that the timing of General Petraeus‘ resignation, attributed to an extramarital affair, signaled that something furtive was amiss. Further speculation contends that the general has been made a “scapegoat” for the tragedy at Benghazi. General Petraeus was scheduled to testify at a hearing early next week on the death of four Americans in a terrorist attack of the U.S. consulate in Libya in October.

The last time the general made viral news was when a CIA spokesperson released a statement via Jake Tapper: “No one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need.” At that time, headlines read that Petraeus had tossed Obama under the bus, implying that it was a presidential decision not to respond to pleas for help from the embassy when it was under attack.

Although FOX News has followed the story, it has been widely ignored during the presidential campaign by the mainstream media. Krauthammer reflected,”They [the media] were holding off; I think to protect Obama before, and also, perhaps, of a lack of interest. But, just given the nature of our journalism, it will now become the hottest story around. And you can be sure that even the mainstream papers … are going to get on it now.”

Speaking to Neil Cavuto, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters charged, “The timing was just too perfect for the Obama administration …I suspect that these tough Chicago guys knew about this affair for a while, held it in their back pocket until they needed to play the card. I don’t like conspiracy theories, I may be totally wrong, but the timing of this, again, right after the election and right before Petraeus is supposed to get grilled on Capitol Hill; it really smells.”

Again, Peters acknowledged he could be wrong. However, if he is correct, this is akin to blackmail and what may be a cover-up just got a little dirtier. It will be interesting to see Krauthammer’s prediction that mainstream media can’t resist a sex scandal and will follow it wherever it leads, is correct.