Jill Kelley: Tried to Parlay Connections into $80 Million Fee

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 02:23:18 PM EST
Tags: Jill Kelley, David Petraeus (all tags)

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Financially beleaguered Real Housewife of Tampa co-star Jill Kelley thought she'd try her hand at a business deal (using her closeness to Gen. David Petraeus and her honorary South Korea title.) She was rebuffed as an amateur, when she asked for an $80 million commission.

Adam Victor, president of TransGas Development in New York, recounts the adventure to the Tampa Bay Times. He met Kelley at an event at the Tampa Convention Hall at the Republican National Convention.

Victor said Kelley described herself as a close friend to Petraeus, which impressed him. In fact, he said, Kelley told him she might help him with a coal gasification project in South Korea. She said she could gain him access to the highest levels of the South Korean government, Victor said. Kelley told him she was an honorary consul for South Korea, and Victor said she told him she had obtained the position with the help of Petraeus.

Kelley followed up with Victor at a meeting in New York (his company flew her there first class.) Kelley told him that if the deal went through, she expected an $80 million commission. [More....]

The fee was so unrealistic and excessive, Victor said, he immediately realized he was dealing with an amateur. He rejected it out of hand. He said Kelley then asked for a counter proposal. But Victor wasn't biting.

"It's stupidity," said Victor, who nonetheless said he liked Kelley. "It's inexperience. I got annoyed because it was clear that I had wasted my time and money."

The Kelley sisters seem doomed to fade into obscurity. The Government will dismiss them as opportunistic wannabes, a repetition of which can be avoided by a review of ethics training for military officers, which Leon Panetta called for today.

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Jill Kelley: Tried to Parlay Connections into $80 Million Fee | 26 comments (26 topical)

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she expected an $80 million commission... (5.00 / 1) (#6)
by desertswine on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 09:51:04 PM EST

Now if she only would have asked for 40 mil...
she would've been a pro.

Kelley and Allen, (5.00 / 1) (#12)
by Tamta on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 12:23:10 PM EST

Taking trips? Special aviation attention...

Gee, if I (none / 0) (#13)
by Zorba on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 01:26:18 PM EST

become an honorary consul, can I get free flights, too? ;-)


And dine with the 'awesome' (5.00 / 1) (#14)
by Tamta on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 01:35:56 PM EST

King of Jordan?


Ms. Kelley desparately needs (5.00 / 1) (#18)
by oculus on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 02:42:25 PM EST

a personal shopper. What an unflattering dress.


: That's what I think too (5.00 / 1) (#20)
by Militarytracy on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 02:50:31 PM EST

But if something screams 100s of dollars it can be ugly as hell and still considered beautiful right now. Take a look at a few of the handbags some are sporting. All they are saying is that they can spend so much money they don't even need taste anymore :)

Gas, ass, or grass :) (none / 0) (#16)
by Militarytracy on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 02:27:21 PM EST

That's it man (none / 0) (#15)
by Militarytracy on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 02:26:31 PM EST

THAT IS IT! He's done. One of his friends was saying he's never been alone with her yadda yadda yadda and they are probably members of the mile high club. He is done, there is no way he can redeem himself now.


And comments? Additions? (5.00 / 1) (#19)
by oculus on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 02:44:06 PM EST

"Semper fi, honey?"


I had to check out of my wine tasting (none / 0) (#21)
by Militarytracy on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 03:09:10 PM EST

last night because my husband was supposed to speak to the FRG and he thought it was appropriate that his spouse be present and it probably was. I sent out the message though that I must attend the FRG function because "volunteer" Jill Kelley has been thrown off MacDill and she might decide to drive up here and go slumming :)

Yesterday for some reason was too many functions, and spouses unit was having a Thanksgiving lunch together so I went. Everyone was so carefully trying to avoid talking about what everyone was talking about in small groups. Finally someone started a conversation about the classified stuff and Broadwell. Then a guy said he wondered if the Petraeuses would divorce, he seemed to think it very likely.

I told him I didn't think so. They have been together for a long long time, and let's be honest, isn't it likely that General Petraeus needed some drug assistance in being such a wild man? It wasn't like Broadwell and Petraeus were going to leave spouses for each other, doesn't look like that sort of passion at all.

Nobody is putting up with the crap I do for my husband. He's only at best good for fun, not fun for good. I can't imagine any vivacious young thing signing up for this crappy slog into the forever :) She'd be good for a few months at best. You have to age into this.

Nope, if my spouse did that to me I'd kick the ever living $hit out of him every day for a really long time. I told everyone at the lunch if you ever run into him and he's laying on the ground all beat up, you'll know what happened.

I think Holly Petraeus is going to give him the boots and give him the boots and give him the boots and give him some more. And she should. But seriously, once you are 60 are most of us really thinking about wild sexual romps and getting to our next hookup? We can, but it's hard work. I'm not doing it. My husband and I read to each other, that is usually sexy enough these days :) And we snuggle a lot more, thrash around a lot less.


I ran into a spouse though last night (none / 0) (#22)
by Militarytracy on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 04:34:19 PM EST

That wanted old school back. She had a little booth set up and she had fashion photos and she wanted you to tag them as appropriate or inappropriate for military functions. She had only military functions listed too, a tea, a ball, an officers wives meeting.

I haven't been to one of those stupid teas since before the Iraq War. The last one was for a Col who had that Iraqi officer tortured to death. War has made a lot of that old social crap broken. I think it needs to stay broken too. I'd really like to never attend another pompous tea for a torturer ever again and he's gone now.

She proudly told me her husband was a Major so they were going to be in for a very long time. Who knows though, all those pompy pompousers haven't fared so well once the real caca started hitting the real fan and we are downsizing. If her spouse is anything like her I hope he's downsized. The last thing a military family needs to sweat is whether or not their commanders wife thinks they are properly outfitted for her soirées.


Do the spouses of officers still have (none / 0) (#23)
by oculus on Sat Nov 17, 2012 at 12:07:03 AM EST

engraved calling cards and a silver calling card dish? Hope not.


That's right, oculus, you were an officer's wife (none / 0) (#24)
by caseyOR on Sat Nov 17, 2012 at 01:54:42 AM EST

at one time. From your comment I'm guessing you had engraved calling cards and a silver calling card dish. :-)


: I did, as the XO's wife informed me (none / 0) (#25)
by oculus on Sat Nov 17, 2012 at 01:59:38 AM EST

these were mandatory. But no one ever showed up w/a calling card to place in my silver dish. And I never sprung mine on anyone either!

They don't (none / 0) (#26)
by Militarytracy on Sat Nov 17, 2012 at 10:23:21 AM EST

But I fear after everyone comes home they will want them again. Before the two wars I saw many good soldiers become discouraged by the social baloney and how what your bosses wife thought about your wife could affect your career prospects. If spouses should do anything at all, it is bring you some food when everyone is down with the flu and babysit when you have to take the dog to the vet. That's it and everything else going on with this family is none of your business. Want something else to do....get a job! But leave the soldiers under your soldier alone.

I'll be glad when this soldier retires. It looks like he's going to teach on post, but soon I can really really speak freely. When taxpayers lay out a ton of cash for training though, and a soldier is performing well, to lose that service member prematurely because the spouse refuses to return to a high school mentality is B.S.

I'm very visual, I passed her little test with flying colors. I would love to see everyone in what in my opinion is appropriate dress too. It calms me, makes me think everything is under control, but it never really is and what other people wear is none of my damned business :)


Well, there's always reality TV... (none / 0) (#1)
by Anne on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 02:35:01 PM EST

if the DC Housewives could have Michale Salahi, no reason Jill and Natalie can't shop a proposal to Bravo or tru or one of the other networks, right?

Hollywood (none / 0) (#2)
by Luke Lea on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 02:43:52 PM EST

The Hollywood rights alone might be enough.


they have experience (none / 0) (#4)
by Jeralyn on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 05:52:12 PM EST

they were on a Food Network show together a few years ago.


: Not everyone can cook (none / 0) (#5)
by MO Blue on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 06:01:01 PM EST

gator! ;o)

obscure in 2014, maybe (none / 0) (#3)
by desmoinesdem on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 04:18:46 PM EST

They'll have opportunities to cash in on their notoriety during the next year, though.

What a nit wit... (none / 0) (#7)
by fishcamp on Thu Nov 15, 2012 at 10:28:23 PM EST

btw...what is a nit witÇ there goes that weird punctuation stuff again ¿ ? ç Ç ñ Ñ ' " `¨

: Looks Like... (none / 0) (#9)
by ScottW714 on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 09:28:31 AM EST

...you some how turned on the Spanish/Espanol keyboard, fairly easy to do on your phone. Just go into setting/keyboard and switch it back to English, but make sure you are switching the keyboard, not the language.

: Your shift and/or control/other keys (none / 0) (#11)
by nycstray on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 10:48:55 AM EST

maybe sticking. I had that prob when my dog knocked some liquid on my keyboard. They don't look like they are, but they register that way.

How do people this stupid (none / 0) (#8)
by Repack Rider on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 01:21:44 AM EST

Remember to breathe?

: They hire people (none / 0) (#17)
by jondee on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 02:29:16 PM EST

to breathe for them..

Tampa's own (none / 0) (#10)
by rdandrea on Fri Nov 16, 2012 at 10:09:27 AM EST

Sarah Palin