Obama to nominate Gen. John Allen for Supreme Commander of NATO

GlobalPost

President Barack Obama plans to go ahead with nominating General John Allen as Supreme Commander of NATO in Europe, the White House said on Wednesday.

"We intend for the nomination to proceed," White House spokesman Jay Carney said, according to Reuters.

He added that he hoped the Senate would consider Allen's nomination in a timely manner, Voice of America reported.

The scandal-ridden general was cleared of professional misconduct in a Pentagon probe just the day before, allowing his nomination to proceed.

Allen was caught up in the fallout from the scandal over former CIA Director David Petraeus' affair, with Allen being linked to a Florida socialite through thousands of emails. US officials said on Tuesday that the military investigation found Allen did nothing wrong in exchanging emails with Jill Kelley.

A spokesman for Allen said the general had been informed about the probe's outcome and was "obviously pleased by the outcome," according to The Wall Street Journal.

"He is grateful for the support he received throughout this process from his chain of command, friends, family and colleagues," said spokesman Marine Maj. David Nevers.

More on GlobalPost: Gen. John Allen cleared by Pentagon over emails with Jill Kelley, Tampa socialite

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