Petraeus resigns from CIA over affair

David Petraeus, the most decorated and respected US soldier of his generation, has resigned as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency after admitting he had an extramarital affair.
Mr Petraeus offered his resignation to President Barack Obama in a meeting at the White House on Thursday “for personal reasons” and said in a letter to staff on Friday that Mr Obama had accepted his
resignation.
 “After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” the letter said. “Such behaviour is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours.”
The announcement was made on Mr Obama’s second full day back in the White House after his election victory and comes amid growing controversy over the CIA’s role in the September attack on the US consulate in Libya.
“I am completely confident that the CIA will continue to thrive and carry out its essential mission,” Mr Obama said in a statement. Michael Morrell, Mr Petraeus’ deputy, will become acting director.
Mr Petraeus and other government and intelligence officials were due to appear before Congress to be questioned about Libya. However, Mr Morrell will now be appearing in his place at the hearings.
In recent weeks, there have been reports that the CIA officers in Benghazi were slow to respond to the armed attack on the nearby US consulate, which led to the deaths of four Americans including the US ambassador to Libya.
The resignation letter makes no mention of the Libya controversy. A congressional aide involved in the hearings said that Mr Petraeus’ affair was not a smokescreen to cover-up the fallout from Benghazi.
A four-star general, Mr Petraeus became famous for his role in turning around the US military mission in Iraq. He was also a central figure in the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan in the first year of the Obama administration and later was asked to command the US forces in Afghanistan.
Mr Petraeus is married to Holly Petraeus, assistant director for service member affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Mrs Petraeus has been a vocal advocate on behalf of military families, particularly on the issue of unscrupulous lending practices.
Her hiring was cheered by consumer advocates and helped limit criticism of the agency’s efforts to aid service members at risk of being swindled by predatory lenders.
News of Mr Petraeus’ resignation came hours before Lockheed Martin, the US’s biggest military contractor, announced that its own succession plans were in disarray because of an affair. The company said that Christopher Kubasik, chief operating officer, would not be taking over as chief executive as a result of a “close personal relationship” with a subordinate.
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