General John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, plans to "fully cooperate" with a Pentagon probe into emails he sent to a woman linked to the Petraeus sex scandal, his lawyer said Wednesday.
"General Allen intends to fully cooperate with the Inspector General investigators and directed his staff to do the same," Marine Corps Colonel John Baker said in a statement.
He added that Allen, the head of allied forces in Afghanistan whose nomination to become the next NATO supreme commander in Europe has been put on hold, hoped to "resolve those questions as completely and quickly as possible."
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The FBI has uncovered 20,000 to 30,000 pages of correspondence -- mostly emails -- between Allen and 37-year-old Jill Kelley, a key figure in the scandal that brought down former CIA chief David Petraeus.
According to a senior Pentagon official, the married general denies any sexual liaison with the Florida socialite, though the "sheer volume" of correspondence could amount to "conduct unbecoming an officer." The offense is subject to court-martial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
The emails were found during an investigation of allegedly threatening emails sent to Kelley by Paula Broadwell, a married military reservist whose affair with Petraeus was uncovered during the same probe.
Petraeus stepped down over the shock revelation of his extramarital affair with Broadwell, who wrote a fawning biography of the retired four-star general.
President Barack Obama has backed Allen, along with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, currently on a visit to Australia.
Allen's lawyer said his client would not comment further during the probe, but said he "does sincerely appreciate the support expressed by the president, the secretary of defense, members of Congress and members of the public."
Due to face US lawmakers this week for a hearing to confirm his promotion to the new NATO post, Allen instead will return to Kabul until the probe is over.
"In the meantime, General Allen's duties as the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan remain his primary focus," Baker said.
Before his posting in Afghanistan, Allen served as deputy to Petraeus when he headed US Central Command in Tampa, Florida. Both met Kelley there while she threw parties for top military officers.
