FBI agent in Petraeus scandal was hero, twice

FBI Special Agent Fred Humphries / Steve Ringman/The Seattle Times

TAMPA, Fla. FBI Special Agent Frederick Humphries II played a key role in stopping a terrorist attack aimed at blowing up Los Angeles International Airport just as the year 2000 dawned. He fatally shot a man who threatened him and other law enforcement officers with a knife during an altercation at Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base in 2010.

And now Humphries finds himself in the middle of the widening scandal that has resulted in CIA Director David Petraeus' resignation.

Humphries, 47, was the agent who initially saw the emails the FBI said Petraeus' biographer and mistress, Paula Broadwell, sent to Tampa socialite Jill Kelley, a woman she apparently saw as a rival for Petraeus' affections. She also allegedly sent emails to Gen. John Allen, Kelley's friend and the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan.

CBS News correspondent Bob Orr quotes law enforcement sources as describing Humphries as a solid agent with a good history. Humphries is also a veteran counter-terrorism agent.

Concerned about the emails, Kelley contacted Humphries in June. The two had met at a 2011 FBI Citizens Academy, a program aimed at teaching the public and journalists about what the agency does and how it operates. Kelley was in the class, which Humphries lectured one night about terrorism, according to Natalie Shepherd, a Tampa TV reporter who was there.

Humphries, a former Army captain who worked in military intelligence, thought the emails raised serious concerns because the anonymous author knew the comings and goings of Allen and Petraeus, a former general who had preceded Allen in Afghanistan. His report back to the FBI started the investigation that led to Broadwell and uncovered her affair with Petraeus.

• FBI agent linked to Petraeus scandal identified
• Official: Emails between Gen. John Allen and Fla. socialite "flirtatious"
• Details of Petraeus affair emerge as scandal engulfs Gen. John Allen
• Two women in Petraeus sex scandal lose security clearance
• Jill Kelley: A look at her close ties to top military brass

The FBI is reviewing Humphries' later conduct in this case, a federal law enforcement official said Wednesday. Specifically, the bureau is reviewing a telephone call he made in late October to Rep. Dave Reichert, R-Wash., to voice concern that the bureau was not aggressively pursuing a possible national security breach. Reichert arranged to convey the information to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, who checked with the FBI at that time. Cantor was assured the bureau was on top of any possible vulnerability.

Lawrence Berger, the general counsel for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, said in an interview Wednesday that his client, Humphries, did nothing wrong and should not be disciplined. "He's committed no misconduct," Berger said and predicted he would be cleared of any misconduct.

Humphries joined the FBI in 1996 and first came to prominence in 1999 after an Algerian man was arrested by U.S. Customs agents as he tried to enter Washington state from Canada by ferry. Ahmed Ressam had white powder, chemicals and homemade timing devices in the trunk of his car.

Ressam claimed to be a French-speaker from Quebec. According to a 2002 Seattle Times story, Humphries, then the only French-speaker assigned to the FBI's Seattle office, was asked to question him. As soon as Humphries heard Ressam's accent and phrasing, he knew he wasn't from Quebec and told his colleagues to arrest him, the story said. It was later learned Ressam was part of an al Qaeda plot to blow up the Los Angeles airport on New Year's Eve 1999.

By 2010, Humphries had been assigned to the FBI's Tampa office and was its liaison to MacDill, home to the military's Central Command.

On May 19, 2010, 61-year-old Army veteran Ronald J. Bullock, who was camping at the base, got into an altercation with base security.

Officials said Bullock sped off on a motorcycle, but was stopped by other security officers and Humphries as he tried to exit a gate. They said he got off the motorcycle and came at Humphries and the officers while brandishing a knife. Humphries fired, killing Bullock. The shooting was later ruled justified.

Florida seems to be a breeding ground for corruption.
Persons like Congressman Vern Buchanan whom has been accused of multi illegal acts by former partners, CFO, CPA's and former employees can breeze through a FBI investigation by the Tampa FBI field office. But people like a military general whom answers to a democratic president gets nailed for an affair.
Something is not right here. Let us compare: Buchanan---possible bank fraud, tax fraud, consumer fraud, campaign contribution fraud, employee wage fraud and more. Thousands of internal documents, multi witnesses which included former partners, CFO, CPA's, consumers and employees, e-mails and more showing all the claims to be true. AGAINST: Kelley---A AFFAIR BETWEEN CONSENTING ADULTS. E-mails between consenting adults.
Then you have a FBI agent going to republican congressmen to expose the investigation the day of the election. Not the White House, not his bosses, and not to any chain of command. What is the connection here--trying to influence a political campaign at the last minute.
Whom should be investigated is the Tampa FBI field office. The question to be investigated is: Has republican politics influenced the investigation of Buchanan or Kelley.
Whom is to blame in Florida is the voters who continue to put bad leaders into office rather than voting for honest political leaders. Until the voters wake up and vote honesty and truth. The corruption will continue.
Duane Overholt www. autofraudexpert.com

[lloydbest1]

"Humphries, a former Army captain who worked in military intelligence, thought the emails raised serious concerns because the anonymous author knew the comings and goings of Allen and Petraeus, a former general who had preceded Allen in Afghanistan. His report back to the FBI started the investigation that led to Broadwell and uncovered her affair with Petraeus."

All true, but what he did afterward leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Did this dude exhaust all internal chain of command channels before going outside? Why Eric Cantor in particular? If he had to go outside channels and it was important enough to take to an avowed political hack, it was important enough to take to Mr. Holder.
And what's this nonsense with the topless (or is it naked?) photos he sent to the estimable Ms. Kelley? I find it believable but I still don't know FOR SURE he actually did that. In any case this little bit of misjudgement is, perhaps the most innocent of what's turning out to be a grand festival of abuse of power, security risks, hidden agendas, withholding of information, political point scoring and, at bottom, a case (or even several cases) of "the little head taking control of the big head".
Do any of us know how intimate the relationship was he had with Kelley? is it even any of our business? What should be our business is how much public money was spent on what was essentially refereeing a private cat-fight between two attractive women.
And the biggest question is this; did or did not the philandering General David Petraeus commit any serious security breaches in addition to adultry? We still don't know.
This is like a train wreck or an aircraft crash; horrible to witness and yet, one can't take one's eyes off of it....I can just imagine the book deals to follow.

[marzxyz]

I submit that the word "hero" has all but lost its meaning due to gross overuse in the media.

[DWileyOne]

Humphries may be a good technical agent ... able to respond appropriately in tense, emergency situations ... however, when it comes to decision-making regarding the opposite sex, it appears his judgement is as clouded as every other man. He responded to Kelley's email "harassment" emotionally because she is a good looking woman that he has the hots for (as evidenced by the shirtless text), using U.S. government resources to do it. He should have recognized the Broadwell emails for what they are ... a "virtual" cat-fight between two, spoiled, self-centered women who, by virtue of their close association with men in power, felt entitled to utilize taxpayer resources to elevate their petty little competition.

[xyzcbs]

Did FBI Special Agent Frederick Humphries II sent shirt less picture to Jill Kelley? If so what is his relationship with a married Jill Kelley?

[lillyhorton]

We need to talk about Benghazi instead of this circus. Thats the National Security breach they keep talking about. What will happen when the world finds out the US was behind the Lybia attack? What did they do?

[quatermass2]

Care to back up your insane assertion? Why would the US be behind the attack? Was Reagan behind the bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon? After all, 11 memebers of HIS administration were CONVICTED for the Iran/Contra affair.

[bwlewis1964]

Let's see was Bush behind 9/11?

[phineu1]

Petraeus was setting up the Obama Administration on the Benghazi issue before the election. He makes a statement and Republicans say "it's the gospel" Ms. Rice says what he tells them, and they say they say conspiracy, remember his men that are in Benghazi. Petraeus is a Republican first, Citizen 2nd. food for thought.

[phineu1]

Petraeus was setting up the Obama Administration on the Benghazi issue before the election. He makes a statement and Republicans say "it's the gospel" Ms. Rice says what he tells them, and they say they say conspiracy, remember his men that are in Benghazi. Petraeus is a Republican first, Citizen 2nd. food for thought.

[phineu1]

Petraeus was setting up the Obama Administration on the Benghazi issue before the election. He makes a statement and Republicans say "it's the gospel" Ms. Rice says what he tells them, and they say they say conspiracy, remember his men that are in Benghazi. Petraeus is a Republican first, Citizen 2nd. food for thought.

[aubfmet]

If he did anything wrong it was because he discovered the truth and revealed the truth.