Washington (CNN) David Petraeus on Monday became the latest secretary of state candidate to interview with Donald Trump.
He's a decorated military leader lauded by Democrats and Republicans alike for revolutionizing the military's approach to fighting terrorism and insurgencies, and credited with turning the tide in Iraq. Crucially, he could also allow for a compromise amid reports of divisions within the Trump team, with some backing Mitt Romney and others supporting Rudy Giuliani.
Trump tweeted about the meeting immediately afterwards, saying he "was very impressed" with the retired general.
Petraeus also briefly addressed the meeting, telling reporters it was a "very good conversation," and added that, "We'll see where it goes from here."
But Petraeus could still face a difficult path to the top diplomatic post.
For one thing, he would potentially be the third general to hold a Trump Cabinet position, a pile up of former military officers in civilian roles that the new White House could well want to avoid.
For another, there's the matter of his misdemeanor for sharing classified information. It's a record that raises questions about his ability to get a security clearance and to be confirmed -- particularly as the GOP painted Hillary Clinton as unfit for the presidency for her own handling of classified material.
Petraeus' past a problem?
Petraeus resigned as CIA direct in November 2012, was convicted of a misdemeanor in 2015, and is currently on probation for sharing classified information with his biographer and mistress, former Army intelligence officer Paula Broadwell.
Petraeus agreed to a plea deal that saw him sentenced to two years' probation and forced him to pay a $100,000 fine for sharing classified information.
According to court documents, Petraeus admitted removing several so-called black books -- notebooks in which he kept classified and non-classified information from his tenure as the commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan -- and giving them to Broadwell.
Prosecutors agreed not to send Petraeus to jail because the classified information was never released to the public or published in the biography that Broadwell wrote.
However, during the campaign Trump largely dismissed Petraeus' issues, saying they were significantly less grave than those of his former rival Hillary Clinton.
Echos of Clinton criticism
The director of the FBI, James Comey, said Clinton had been "extremely careless" in her handling of classified material and her use of a personal email server for official business while she was secretary of state.
Trump said during the campaign that the FBI erred in not prosecuting Clinton, and at the second presidential debate he pledged to set up a special prosecutor to investigate Clinton if elected. Trump has since downplayed that prospect.
"The system is rigged. General Petraeus got in trouble for far less. Very very unfair!," Trump tweeted in July.
Because he admitted to a misdemeanor and not a more serious felony charge, his conviction does not necessarily prevent him from receiving a security clearance.
His being on probation similarly does not bar him from receiving security clearance, according to experts, though they note that it is unusual as investigators typically prefer to wait until such a legal supervisory period is over before granting clearance.
A president's prerogative
And in any case, experts point out, the President has broad authority to grant security clearances -- even to those with legal challenges.
"Ultimately the President has the final say," Sean Bigley, a security clearance lawyer and former government background investigator told CNN.
In transition: President-elect Trump
President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Martin Luther King III
after they met at Trump Tower in New York on Monday, January 16. Afterward, King said the meeting was "constructive" and that the two discussed the importance of voting accessibility. Trump didn't speak to the media about the meeting.
Trump speaks at Trump Tower in New York on Wednesday, January 11. In
his first news conference since winning the election, a combative Trump made clear he will not mute his style when he is inaugurated on January 20. He lashed out at media and political foes alike.
US Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump's nominee for attorney general, is sworn in during
his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday, January 10. Trump and his transition team are in the process of filling high-level positions for the new administration.
Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, arrives on Capitol Hill for a meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan on Monday, January 9. Kushner, a 35-year-old businessman-turned-political strategist,
will be senior adviser to the president, a senior transition official told CNN.
Trump gets on an elevator after speaking with reporters at New York's Trump Tower on January 9.
Trump stands with Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma, Asia's richest man, as they walk to speak with reporters at Trump Tower on January 9. Ma met with Trump to
tease plans for creating "one million" jobs in the United States. Trump praised Ma after the meeting as a "great, great entrepreneur and one of the best in the world."
Trump stands with legendary boxing promoter Don King after meeting at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, on Wednesday, December 28. Trump and King
met to discuss the relationship between Israel and the United States.
Trump attends a meeting with Steve Bannon, chief White House strategist and senior counselor, at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Wednesday, December 21. Trump
spent the holidays in Mar-a-Lago.
Trump spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway talks to the press in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York on Thursday, December 15. Conway, who was Trump's campaign manager,
will work in his administration as "counselor to the president," it was announced on Thursday, December 22.
Trump
meets with technology executives in New York on Wednesday, December 14. From left are Jeff Bezos, chief executive officer of Amazon; Larry Page, chief executive officer of Google's parent company Alphabet; Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook; and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. The three main areas discussed were jobs, immigration and China, according to a source briefed on the meeting.
Three of Trump's children -- from left, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric -- attend the meeting with tech leaders on December 14.
Trump, Pence and House Speaker Paul Ryan wave during an event in West Allis, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, December 13. "He's like a fine wine," Trump said of Ryan at
the rally, which was part of his "thank you" tour to states that helped him win the election. "Every day that goes by, I get to appreciate his genius more and more."
Trump and rapper Kanye West speak to the press after
meeting at Trump Tower in New York on December 13. Trump called West a "good man" and told journalists that they have been "friends for a long time." West later tweeted that he met with Trump to discuss "multicultural issues."
Trump
selected former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, to be his nominee for energy secretary, which would make Perry the head of an agency he once suggested he would eliminate.
Trump has tapped ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson
to serve as secretary of state, the transition team announced December 13. Tillerson, seen here at a conference in 2015, has no formal foreign-policy experience, but he has built close relationships with many world leaders by closing massive deals across Eurasia and the Middle East on behalf of the world's largest energy company.
Trump waves during the Army-Navy football game, which was played in Baltimore on Saturday, December 10.
Trump shakes hands with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad at an event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, December 8. Trump
re-introduced Branstad as his pick for US ambassador to China.
Trump greets retired Marine Gen. James Mattis at a rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Tuesday, December 6. Trump said
he would nominate Mattis as his defense secretary.
Trump speaks to members of the media at Trump Tower in New York on December 6.
Trump visits the Carrier air-conditioning company in Indianapolis on Thursday, December 1.
Carrier announced that it had reached a deal with Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who is currently governor of Indiana, to keep about 1,000 of 1,400 jobs at its Indianapolis plant rather than move them to Mexico. The Carrier plant had been a theme of Trump's campaign promise to prevent more jobs from being outsourced to other countries.
Trump and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney
share a meal in New York on Tuesday, November 29. Romney was reportedly in the running for secretary of state.
Trump waves to a crowd at The New York Times building after meeting with some of the newspaper's reporters, editors and columnists on Tuesday, November 22.
Six takeaways from the meeting
Trump is flanked by Pence and Romney after a meeting in Bedminster Township, New Jersey, on Saturday, November 19.
"60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl
interviews Trump and his family at his New York home on Friday, November 11. It was Trump's first television interview since the election.
House Speaker Paul Ryan shows Trump and his wife, Melania, the Speaker's Balcony at the US Capitol on Thursday, November 10.
Trump walks with his wife and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after a meeting at the US Capitol on November 10.
Trump shakes hands with President Barack Obama following
a meeting in the Oval Office on November 10. Obama told his successor that he wanted him to succeed and would do everything he could to ensure a smooth transition.
Trump delivers his acceptance speech during his election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown hotel on Wednesday, November 9.
He noted that the Supreme Court determined in 1988 that the final authority to bestow security clearances lies with the President.
"This court has recognized the government's 'compelling interest' in withholding national security information from unauthorized persons in the course of executive business ... The authority to protect such information falls on the President as head of the executive branch and as commander in chief," Justice Harry Blackmun wrote in the court's decision.
But while Trump has the legal authority to grant a clearance, it remains to be seen if he will be willing to do so.
"I think Trump will have to make a strategic decision whether the optics of the appointment would be something he is willing to accept," Bigley added.
General continues to be sought out
Petraeus, though, has already received an endorsement of sorts from the Obama administration and Congress.
Petraeus' advice and counsel continue to have been sought by both Capitol Hill and the White House.
"Gen. Petraeus is somebody who served for a number of years in Iraq. He commanded a large number of American military personnel in that country," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in March of 2015, right around the time of Petraeus' court appearance.
"He is, I think, legitimately regarded as an expert, when it comes to the security situation in Iraq. So I think it makes a lot of sense for senior administration officials to, on occasion, consult for him advice," Earnest added, saying that he was not aware of any special precautions taken amid Petraeus' legal issues.
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Petraeus also testified on Capitol Hill, appearing before the Senate Armed Services committee in 2015 to discuss the fight against ISIS.
"Gen. Petraeus, we are very interested in your views," Ranking Democrat Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island said at the hearing.
A graduate of West Point, Petraeus holds a PhD from Princeton University and is currently serving as the chairman of the Global Institute at the New York-based private equity firm KKR.
Having commanded the international NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan and overseen US military forces in the Middle East, experts note Petraeus has had ample exposure to key relationships with US allies and critical countries in the region.
One former colleague of his described him as a "diplomat in uniform," noting that Petraeus would be more interested in the secretary of state role as opposed to running the Pentagon.
CNN's Barbara Starr contributed to this report