Updated 5:26 p.m.
Lawyer up – that's what two of the central characters embroiled in the David Petraeus scandal have done. But what are the best practices for attorneys and public relations officials when representing clients in high-profile matters like this?
Robert Bennett, the Hogan Lovells partner who represented President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, said in an interview that in situations like this, it's best to put all the facts out at once rather than drag on the story for multiple days.
"The primary rule is to get it out and get it all out," Bennett said. He likened the media frenzy that often surrounds scandals like this to Count Dracula. "He needs blood every day," Bennett said.
By not revealing all the facts, Bennett said, the press and public begin to question if the parties are hiding something.
Two other D.C. lawyers soon will be testing this theory.
As reported by National Law Journal sibling publication Am Law Daily, Chadbourne & Parke partner Abbe Lowell in D.C. is representing Jill Kelley, the Tampa, Fla. socialite enmeshed in the scandal involving Petraeus and his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Kelley allegedly received harassing emails from Broadwell.
Robert Muse, a partner at Stein, Mitchell, Muse & Cipollone in Washington, is representing Broadwell, according to reports.
Both Lowell and Muse have previously represented clients in the national spotlight. Lowell has represented a laundry list of governors, senators and representatives, most recently former Senator John Edwards during his trail earlier this year. Muse's colleague, Jacob Stein, as noted by ABC News, represented Lewinsky.
Neither Lowell nor Muse immediately returned calls for comment.
"Without commenting on what [Petraeus] should specifically do, he should as quickly as possible be going on television or sitting down with a reporter, and give the tick tock of what happened and when," said Lanny Davis, an attorney and crisis management consultant in D.C. If there is a potential legal question, Davis said Petraeus could decline to answer based on the advice of his attorney.
Davis, previously special counsel to Clinton, said that it's important to tread carefully when using a public relations specialist because they are not entitled to any attorney client privilege.
When news broke that Petraeus would step down as head of the Central Intelligence Agency on Friday, he also revealed that it was due to his affair with Broadwell. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Petraeus would likely not face a court martial because, while still under the jurisdiction of the military, he is not active personnel.
As of yet, there are no reports of who is representing Petraeus in a legal capacity.
"I don't know that he is being represented," Bennett said. "It looks to me like Petraeus has handled this well."
This was well done.
Posted by: Jane Genova | November 15, 2012 at 09:26 PM
All this hoopla over a fling by consenting adults?A fling does not transform a casual encounter into a "mistress" relationship.
Posted by: Richard Henderson | November 14, 2012 at 06:34 PM