Gen. John Allen, the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan, reportedly ask to withdraw his name from consideration to be NATO commander, following being connected to but later cleared in the David Petraeus email scandal.
Allen has told the White House to drop its plans to nominate him for the top post, military officials told NBC News.
A rep for Allen said the general just wants some time off: “After 19 months in command in Afghanistan, and many before that spent away from home, Gen. Allen has been offered time to rest and reunite with his family before he turns his attention to his next assignment.”
Allen was the collateral damage in the wake of revelations that CIA director Petraeus had carried on an extramarital affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell.
The tryst became public when Tampa socialite Jill Kelley alerted authorities from an anonymous sender, who perceived her as rival for Petraeus’ attention. Kelley was a volunteer “social liaison” with military officials at MacDill Air Force Base.
Kelley’s complaint inadvertently shed a light on her remarkably close email relationship with Allen, who passed on his Afghan duties last weekend.
A Pentagon investigation cleared Allen of any wrongdoing and the White House was reportedly still interested in seeing the general lead NATO.
But US military officials told NBC that Allen didn’t want bring any more attention to his family.
Allen has already told Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta of his desire not to lead NATO.