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 Federal prosecutors handling the case of David Petraeus, the former director of the CIA, have recommended that charges be filed against him for mishandling classified information, according to federal officials. 
 
 No charges have been filed, and it's up to Attorney General Eric Holder to decide whether the facts assembled by the FBI, and the case built by prosecutors, merit going to court. 
 
 Petraeus, a retired four-star general and once America's top man in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, became CIA director in 2011. The question has been whether he gave classified information to a woman who was writing a book about him — a woman who was also his mistress. 
 
 He acknowledged the affair when he stepped down after leading the CIA for about a year. 
 
 Neither Justice Department nor his lawyer, who has always insisted Petraeus did nothing wrong, had immediate comment. One federal official said this leak, first reported by The New York Times, is an effort to put pressure on Holder to bring charges, especially given that other, lower-level government officials have been charged with leaking classified information. 
 
 — Pete Williams ||||| * No CIA documents on mistress' computer -sources 
 
 * Spy agency launches probe of its own 
 
 * Petraeus says resigned CIA post over affair, not Benghazi 
 
 By Mark Hosenball and Andy Sullivan 
 
 WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Classified material kept by the woman who conducted an affair with former CIA Director David Petraeus predates their liaison and does not come from the spy agency, sources briefed on the investigation told Reuters on Thursday. 
 
 The finding appears to bolster assertions by both Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell, that their affair did not put national security secrets at risk - a central question hovering over the scandal that brought down one of the United States' most respected public figures last week. 
 
 The CIA said on Thursday it had opened an "exploratory" investigation into Petraeus' conduct, building on the FBI's probe. Law enforcement officials have said they believe the FBI investigation is likely to end without criminal charges. 
 
 The scandal has cast a spotlight on the private lives of some of the nation's top national security officials. 
 
 The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Marine General John Allen, now faces a Pentagon inspector general's review of what sources describe as "flirtatious" emails with a Tampa socialite. 
 
 Defense Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the military's top brass to look for any gaps in ethics amid concerns officers' lapses in judgment could erode public confidence in the military. Traveling in Bangkok, Panetta said he knew of no other military officials who have been drawn into the investigation. 
 
 Petraeus and Broadwell have separately told investigators they did not share security secrets, and Petraeus has repeated that assertion to associates and a television reporter. 
 
 In his first public comments on the matter, Attorney General Eric Holder said on Thursday the FBI did not see any possible threats over the course of the investigation that were urgent enough to notify President Barack Obama or lawmakers until shortly before Petraeus stepped down. 
 
 BROADWELL HAD SECURITY CLEARANCE 
 
 FBI agents have found a substantial amount of classified information on Broadwell's personal computer since they searched her Charlotte, North Carolina, home with her consent on Monday. 
 
 Sources briefed on the investigation said the documents date from before August 2011, when Petraeus took up his post at the CIA and the two started their affair. None of the material comes from the CIA. 
 
 As an Army reserve officer involved in military intelligence, Broadwell had a security clearance that allowed her to handle sensitive documents. However, she would still have to comply with strict rules that lay out how sensitive materials must be protected. 
 
 Broadwell's security clearance has now been suspended. She could have it revoked and face harsher penalties if it is found she mishandled classified data. 
 
 Petraeus' remarks notwithstanding, investigators said on Thursday they had not ruled out the possibility that he passed on classified material to Broadwell. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing law enforcement investigation. 
 
 Broadwell, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing, has made no public comment since the scandal erupted last week. 
 
 'PRETTY CRITICAL INTERVIEW' 
 
 Some lawmakers have questioned why they were not notified of the probe until after last week's presidential election. 
 
 Holder, at a news conference in New Orleans, defended the Justice Department's handling of the case and its sharing of information with top Obama administration officials. 
 
 "After a pretty critical interview occurred the Friday before we made that disclosure, when we got to that point where we thought it was appropriate to share the information, we did so," Holder said at a news conference. 
 
 Petraeus is due on Friday to face lawmakers who are examining the September attacks in Benghazi, Libya, which led to the death of four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador. The attack has turned into a flash point between Obama and Republicans who accuse his administration of misleading the public in the days following the attack. 
 
 The questioning will be confined to the events in Benghazi, said one lawmaker who is expected to participate. 
 
 "We'll get his perspective on what information he knew and how his assessment of that intelligence changed over time," said Democratic Representative Adam Schiff. 
 
 Petraeus told the television network HLN that he resigned because of the affair, not Benghazi.
– Prosecutors are recommending felony charges against David Petraeus for allegedly divulging classified information to an old mistress, unnamed officials tell the New York Times. Now it's Eric Holder's call to either heed the FBI and Justice Dept advice or risk the perception of special treatment for the retired four-star general. The story goes back to 2012, when Petraeus retired as CIA director in the wake of his affair with Army Reserve officer Paula Broadwell. An investigation found classified documents on her computer and evidence that she had access to his private CIA email account. Petraeus denies divulging any classified information, and says he would refuse a plea deal. As the case dragged on, FBI and Justice officials questioned whether Petraeus was getting special treatment. A federal official tells NBC News that the Times leak is meant to pressure Holder, who was expected to decide on charges by the end of last year. President Obama has supported the ex-general, saying in 2012 that there was no proof Petraeus had leaked information "that in any way would have had a negative impact on our national security." So will the storied military man, who commanded US forces in Iraq in 2007 and again in Afghanistan in 2010, go on trial? So far, it's hard to get quotes on the record. "I can't say," said FBI Director James Comey when asked about the investigation. "I mean, I guess I could say, but I won’t say."