Chances are good General David Petraeus will land a top job in the Trump administration, possibly even Secretary of State.

On one level, it makes sense. Petraeus has a resume that demands respect. He is a four-star general and served as the head of multinational forces in Iraq, the commander in chief of Central Command, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and the director of the CIA. He also boasts academic credentials aplenty with his doctorate from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

He even served under both a Republican and a Democratic president, suggesting he could be the bipartisan figure our nation so desperately needs.

In fairness, Petraeus’ actions don’t suggest a man who set out to betray his country, but rather somebody who proved all too human. He likely saw no harm in his initial actions. Then, as his lapses were revealed, he freaked out and created a cover-up that looks horrible in hindsight.

That said, if you’re as enraged about Hillary Clinton playing fast-and-loose with classified material as Trump was, Petraeus is the worst pick imaginable.

Here are the facts: Petraeus saw his career unravel because he started to work a little too closely with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. An affair may seem innocuous—hey, our President-elect has openly acknowledged his adultery to the point he used it as promotional material for a book—but it’s forbidden by the military.

(Petraeus has insisted he waited a full two months after resigning from the Army before starting to hump around, but even if he did, this rule technically still applies to ex-officers.)

Petraeus then leaked classified materials to Broadwell, including “secret code words, the names of covert operatives, war strategy, intelligence capabilities and mechanisms, and discussions at the highest levels of the national security establishment, including the president.”

This stuff is not in dispute—he pled guilty to it. He also knew of the implications of his actions at the time, telling his mistress in a taped exchange: “I mean they are highly classified, some of them.”

He also lied to the FBI about his actions. Indeed, he did it in writing, as prosecutors noted he “signed a form falsely attesting he had no classified material.”

Terrible personal judgment followed by panicky errors isn’t exactly what we want from a top military leader, not to mention “I shall put my full trust in someone I’m boinking on the side” is a questionable policy for civilians and service members alike.

Petraeus had violated the Espionage Act and potentially faced years in prison. He ultimately admitted to a misdemeanor of mishandling classified materials, receiving a $100,000 fine and two years probation. That happened in 2015 so, if appointed, technically he will still be on probation for his first days in office.

His avoidance of felony charges and jail time was decidedly controversial, with some feeling the government didn’t press harder because they decided that airing these matters in public would be embarrassing for all parties.

In fairness, Petraeus’ actions don’t suggest a man who set out to betray his country, but rather somebody who proved all too human. Classified materials are often classified in an extremely haphazard way, for reasons that are arbitrary and ultimately dumb. (Seriously, read this.) He likely saw no harm in his initial actions. Then, as his lapses were revealed, he freaked out and created a cover-up that looks horrible in hindsight.

Which all understandable. Though still pretty damning—terrible personal judgment followed by panicky errors isn’t exactly what we want from a top military leader, not to mention “I shall put my full trust in someone I’m boinking on the side” is a questionable policy for civilians and service members alike.

Regardless of how this situation shakes out, Petraeus forces us to consider how much forgiveness an otherwise qualified candidate deserves and what offenses we may understand yet still be unwilling to forgive.

Ultimately, there is only one clear lesson here: If you’re going to make sexy time with your biographer and have it become public knowledge, try to talk her out of using the title All In.

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