Eric Cantor's Call Did Nada in Petraeus Probe: Official

A senior law enforcement official denies that Eric Cantor played a key role in furthering the investigation of David Petraeus' affair with Paula Broadwell, NBC News reports. According to Cantor, he received a call from an FBI whistle-blower "concerned that sensitive, classified information may have been compromised"—so Cantor had his chief of staff call the FBI. But the FBI was already investigating, and contacted Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in its own time, said the official.

"The investigation had to take a certain path, step by step," the official said. "Things needed to be explored, and there were sensitivities to observe. It was overseen carefully." The FBI agent only called Cantor after being pulled from the case because of a personal connection to someone being investigated—and the agent did not request protection as a whistle-blower, the official added. (More David Petraeus stories.)