News Alert: CIA Director David Petraeus resigns

CIA Director David H. Petraeus has resigned, bringing a surprisingly abrupt end to his brief tenure at the agency as well as his decorated career in national security.

Petraeus sent a letter to President Obama on Friday indicating that he was stepping down, citing an extramarital affair.

“After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair,” Petraeus said in a statement distributed to the CIA workforce on Friday. “Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation.”

The sudden departure created immediate turmoil in the Obama administration’s national security team just days after Obama won reelection. That team is expected to see a series of changes, but Petraeus had been expected by many to stay in his position.

In a statement, Obama said Petraeus has “provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades,” adding that “through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger.”

Although the statement did not directly address Petraeus’s reason for resigning, the president said that his “thoughts and prayers are with Dave and Holly Petraeus, who has done so much to help military families through her own work. I wish them the very best at this difficult time.”

Over the past week, Petraeus had traveled to Libya and Jordan, and directed the agency’s response to the controversy surrounding the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi. Officials said Petraeus insisted the controversy had nothing to do with his decision to resign.

He came into the CIA job after a distinguished Army career that carried him from West Point to leadership positions in which he was tapped to direct the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Michael J. Morell, who served as Petraeus’s deputy at the CIA, is serving as interim director, officials said.

Source: HERE