Admiral’s romance with Pentagon official could be central in bribery case
A Pentagon official who had a romantic relationship with Adm. Robert P. Burke could become a key government witness in a Navy bribery case.
Adm. Robert P. Burke. (U.S. Navy)
By Spencer S. Hsu
July 23, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT
A career Pentagon official who had a romantic relationship with a married four-star admiral could become a key government witness against him, according to his lawyer and court filings in a high-profile U.S. military corruption case that accuses the admiral of steering work to a New York company in exchange for post-retirement employment.
The woman is the only uncharged person who attended a key lunch meeting in July 2021 where, prosecutors allege, the Navy’s former second-highest-ranking officer, Adm. Robert P. Burke, 62, agreed with two executives to award a sole-source contract and help win further Navy business for their company in exchange for a $500,000-a-year job and stock options after he retired.
In a court filing calling attention to the relationship, attorneys for the two executives say Burke misled them into believing his romantic partner was there to vet the propriety of the deal, and claim he had also previously discussed promoting their technology services firm, Next Jump, in the presence of other defense officials.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/07/23/admiral-burke-navy-bribery-case-nextjump/
