Jill Kelley’s family is fighting back against a Town & Country piece about the military hostess and whistleblower in the David Petraeus scandal — even suggesting that Paula Broadwell was somehow behind the article.
Kelley’s rep has blasted the just-out article — in which Kelley is branded by sources as a “bimbo” and a gold digger — as “gratuitous and vicious.” And Page Six has learned a Kelley family member has drafted an op-ed column to send to newspapers, blasting overall media coverage of Kelley as “heading toward harassment.”
The op-ed also alleges Town & Country’s story was hatched by Dee Dee Myers, the former White House spokeswoman who is Broadwell’s rep, because the piece was originally intended for Vanity Fair, where Myers — who is married to VF’s national editor, Todd Purdum — is a contributor.
“There was a freelance journalist employed by Vanity Fair and Town & Country that has been . . . asking hostile questions,” reads the letter. “This bizarre effort seems to be one of a ‘witch hunt.’ Why? Because the irony of all ironies is that her editor is married to Paula Broadwell’s publicist!”
Sources confirm that Vicky Ward’s story on Kelley (who asked the FBI to investigate harassing e-mails to her that turned out to be from Petraeus’ lover Broadwell) originated at Vanity Fair, but as a planned Kelley interview. When the interview didn’t happen, VF passed and, we hear, Ward pitched it to T&C, and recrafted it.
But Condé Nast’s Vanity Fair and Hearst’s Town & Country share no connection. And a source points out: “Dee Dee doesn’t edit, and Todd’s a contributing writer.” An insider adds of T&C’s article, “If Jill wanted vicious, it could’ve been worse . . . it was extremely balanced.”
Myers denied she or Broadwell had anything to do with the article, saying, “I didn’t talk to Vicky Ward. And I have no interest in Jill Kelley. That’s not what I’m working on. My work is that people get the facts straight [about] Paula.”
Meanwhile, we hear that Broadwell is hoping to eventually return to teaching and lecturing as a military expert.