WASHINGTON: CIA Director David Petraeus has abruptly resigned over an “unacceptable” extra-marital affair, shockingly ending a highly-decorated career that saw him command wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and then take the reins of the US spy agency.
60-year-old Petraeus submitted his resignation to President Barack Obama last night during a meeting at the White House. Obama has accepted his resignation.
“I accepted his resignation as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency,” the President said in a statement.
Petraeus, in a letter released to the CIA work force, had disclosed his extra-marital affair.
“After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extra marital affair. Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours,” he wrote in an email.
While accepting Petraeus’ resignation, Obama said he was completely confident that the CIA would continue to thrive and carry out its essential mission.
“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,” he said while praising Petraeus for his extraordinary service.
“David Petraeus has provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades. By any measure, he was one of the outstanding General officers of his generation, helping our military adapt to new challenges, and leading our men and women in uniform through a remarkable period of service in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he helped our nation put those wars on a path to a responsible end,” he said.
-PTI
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