An FBI agent who started the investigation ultimately leading to Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus's resignation on Friday reportedly stoked congressional interest in the case this summer through contacting local Republican US Rep. Dave Reichert (WA-8).
According to the Wall Street Journal, the as-yet unnamed agent contacted Rep. Reichert directly this summer after he had been removed from the investigation. The inquiry linked several harassing emails sent by Petraeus's biographer, Paula Broadwell, to a Petraeus family friend, Jill Kelley.
The FBI agent, according to several news reports, was friends with Kelley and she contacted him several weeks earlier seeking help.
The agent contacted Rep. Reichert with concerns that "officials were going to sweep the matter under the rug." Reichert's office reportedly forwarded on the concerns to top congressional officials, who notified FBI headquarters in Washington.
The agent was removed from the case, according to FBI officials, because he had "grown obsessed with the matter" and had "sent shirtless photos to Ms. Kelley well before the email investigation began," according to the Wall Street Journal.
No charges have been filed in the criminal investigation, but the FBI agent's conduct is currently under administrative review by the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility.
Broadwell is currently under FBI investigation for improperly trying to access his email and possibly gaining access to classified information.
Reichert currently serves residents of Washintgton state's Eighth Congressional District, which includes Bellevue, Mercer Island, and several other Eastside, South King County and Pierce County communities.
Reichert won re-election to the redistricted US Eighth, and moved his office from Mercer Island to Issaquah in February.
