Jill Kelley's sister hires attorney Gloria Allred

Natalie Khawam, the twin sister of Jill Kelley, who are involved in the David Petraeus scandal, accompanied by her attorney Gloria Allred, leaves a news conference in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2012. / AP Photo/Cliff Owen

The sister of Jill Kelley, one of the women at the center of the David Petraeus scandal, has retained famed lawyer Gloria Allred to represent her after her tangential involvement in the scandal was unearthed last week.

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More details on women in the Petraeus scandal

Natalie Khawam and Allred held a news conference in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, ostensibly "to help the public understand who Natalie Khawam really is," per Allred.  She gave a little bit of info about Khawam's personal and professional background, noting that her client is a lawyer who works on Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases.

She said there have been many "erroneous reports" about Khawam, suggesting reports about Natalie's custody battle, -- in which Petraeus and the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Allen wrote letters on behalf of Khawam -- have been misleading. When asked to name one misconception, Khawam and Allred ignored the question.

Allred said Khawam's case raises issues pertaining to women's rights in custody battles, and consequently, women's groups like the National Organization for Women are filing amicus briefs.

• Petraeus, Allen sided with Jill Kelley's sister in child custody battle
• The political ties of Jill Kelley and her sister
• Broadwell said to be devastated by Petraeus scandal

Khawam spoke about her relationship with her twin, Kelley, saying they are "literally inseparable." She added, "We played varsity tennis together, she played net and I served."

Questions that were not answered: How Petraeus and Allen came to write letters of support for Khawam (the relationship between Khawam and Petraeus was described as "social"); whether the emails Petraeus' former mistress Paula Broadwell sent to Jill Kelley were threatening, as the New York Daily News reported Tuesday; whether Petraeus lent Khawam any money; and anything involving the investigation into the Petraeus scandal.

[bfrerck]

Wow...she's guilty by association

[tsigili]

You KNOW there's corruption, when Allred gets involved.

[Silly_liberals]

Yep. Once Allgreed gets involved, all credibility is gone.

[SuzanneCarlson]

Fathers who get sole custody of their children are as rare as a dodo bird -- it just does not happen. Even demonstrably horrible mothers typically get the benefit of the doubt and the kids go to her 99.9 percent of the time. She must be a real piece of work. And for Allred to try to claim mothers get a raw deal in Family Court? Outrageous, to say the least. This is a system that views fathers as little more than a paycheck to be garnished, and who award alimony (alimony! In 2012!) to women for life instead of having women go out and get a job and pay their own bills. Woman love to demand "equality," but only when it suits us. When it comes to double standards like alimony and raising children, oh, we go back to the 1950's in a blink. I am a woman, by the way.

[reedsarah123]

So true!

[Silly_liberals]

Several years ago a mother murdered 2 of her 6 kids. When she got out of the mental hospital 2 years later, the kids were taken from a loving home from people who wanted to adopt all of them and returned back to the mother. She killed one more within the year. Great government run system.

[tsigili]

This is a grand example of the corruption within the Democratic Party.

[antoniof123]

You do realize that they are Republicans and all of this took place at a GOP convention.

Typical Republican consertavie lie and hope for the lie to stick.

[diddy_back_again]

Gloria Allred is the epitome of happiness. She always looks so cheerful.

[levelheadedtoo]

I hears that sharks have to keep swimming or they drown.

[m577a2]

Get all the Patraeus tramps out of the news. Who cares about any of them?

[VICTORYDEM]

What a circus this is going to be....

[AsJonah1]

Bunch of ugly looking women.
AAARRRgggggg

[compduck]

Another dope to be used by this lawyer like so many left in the past after the 5 minutes are gone.