Petraeus, who was once hailed as the man who turned America's war in Iraq around, wrote in a statement to his staff: “After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair.”
The CIA chief added that “such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours. This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation.”
A statement from President Obama read: "Today, I accepted his resignation as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. I am completely confident that the CIA will continue to thrive and carry out its essential mission, and I have the utmost confidence in Acting Director Michael Morell and the men and women of the CIA who work every day to keep our nation safe. Going forward, my 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."
A new CIA director will have to be confirmed by the Senate.
"Dave's decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation's most respected public servants," Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in a statement.
Profile:
General Petraeus was appointed as Director CIA in 2011, following his predecessor Leon Panetta's appointment as Secretary of Defense.
He has also served as head of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
Clappers' full statement as reprinted by the Washington Post:
Today, CIA Director David Petraeus submitted his letter of resignation to the President. Dave’s decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation’s most respected public servants. From his long, illustrious Army career to his leadership at the helm of CIA, Dave has redefined what it means to serve and sacrifice for one’s country.
Since he took over as Director in September of last year, he and I have worked together to tackle some of the most challenging issues faced by the Intelligence Community in more than a decade. Under his leadership, the CIA remained instrumental in providing our policy makers decision advantage through the best possible intelligence. I’m particularly thankful for Dave’s unwavering support and personal commitment to my efforts to lead the Intelligence Community and integrate our intelligence enterprise.
Whether he was in uniform leading our nation’s troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, or at CIA headquarters leading the effort to generate intelligence used to keep our nation safe, Dave inspired people who had the privilege of working with him.
I have spent more than five decades serving our country–in uniform and out–and of all the exceptional men and women I have worked with over the years, I can honestly say that Dave Petraeus stands out as one of our nation’s great patriots.
On behalf of the entire Intelligence Community, I thank Dave for his service, his support and his continued friendship.
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