Jill Kelley — the Tampa, Fla., socialite thrust last year into the spotlight during the scandal that cost David Petraeus his job as head of the CIA — has quietly been making a return to social life.
The move comes as her lawsuit claiming government officials violated her privacy is getting increased attention in the burgeoning NSA scandal from lawyers who, a source says, are looking for precedents.
On Thanksgiving, Kelley — whose name became public when her 2012 complaints to the FBI about anonymous harassing e-mails triggered the investigation that led to Petraeus’ resignation — and her husband, Scott, were passing out holiday meals at their charity event, Heart for the Homeless, which they were forced to skip last year.
Kelley told Page Six, “We could not leave the house in light of the scandal. We had to take a year off. It was sad that these people suffered.”
Kelley told us of the event at Tampa’s International Longshoremen’s Association: “Many of these homeless men are young vets who just got back from Afghanistan. They are living in their cars . . . The homeless population has changed dramatically. One [man] had been a fighter pilot.”
But sources close to Kelley said her life is still under unwelcome scrutiny. “There’s still nowhere she can go where people don’t take pictures of her on their phones,” said a friend. “She has become the human face of government snooping and the damage it can cause,” the pal said, adding, “Because of the NSA scandal, lawyers are looking at her lawsuit to become a precedent. Jill wants to become an advocate so this doesn’t happen to someone else.”
Kelley’s lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Washington, DC, alleges her and her husband’s personal information was leaked to the media by government officials during the Petraeus scandal as part of a “malicious smear campaign.” She declined to comment on the case.
The Justice Department has moved to dismiss the case, which names former FBI director Robert Mueller, Attorney General Eric Holder and ex-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.