Eric Holder: David Petraeus Investigation Will Be Handled Fairly

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Attorney General Eric Holder said on Sunday the ongoing investigation into former CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus over classified information he allegedly shared with his biographer and former lover Paula Broadwell would be conducted fairly, even as details of the investigation appeared to have leaked to The New York Times.

Following the report, Senators John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in a mutual statement: “It is a shameful continuation of a pattern in which leaks by unnamed sources have marred this investigation in contravention to fundamental fairness. No American deserves such callous treatment, let alone one of America’s finest military leaders.”

In response to the senators’ statement, Holder said Sunday on This Week, “I can’t really comment on what is an ongoing matter. But I will say that I share those concerns expressed by two senators who I have a great deal of respect for.”

“But I also want to assure them and the American people that any investigation that is ongoing will be done in a fair and a — and an appropriate way,” he added.

Holder declined to say whether he had received a recommendation on whether to pursue charges against Petraeus, when asked by ABC News This Week anchor George Stephanopoulos. The New York Times reported that the attorney general had received a recommendation to pursue charges.

“As I said, I don’t want to really comment on what is an ongoing investigation. But I will say that frequently, those things that we characterize as leaks — they are frequently inaccurate. I’ll just leave it at that,” Holder said.

Joining This Week after Holder, new Senate Intelligence Committee chair Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., told Stephanopoulos that he did not think the alleged leaks by Petraeus put national security at risk.

“I have tremendous trust in the FBI to do their investigation. I still reference back to the president’s remarks when he announced Gen. Petraeus’ resignation, where he said this did not reach a level that put national security in jeopardy,” Burr said. “And I think the statute of the law says it has to reach that for there to be a prosecution.

“I’ll let the FBI and the Justice Department work through this,” he added. “The burden of proof is on the bureau and on the Justice Department, I think, to present to America where it was and why the president was wrong.”

Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright © 2015, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.