CIA Director David Petraeus Resigns Over Affair, President Obama Reacts
CIA Director David Petraeus resigned Friday after over one year in office and in his resignation letter he cited an extramarital affair as the reason for his abrupt departure.
Petraeus, 60, whose wife Holly is yet to speak publicly regarding her husband's affair, served in the military for 37 years and was sworn in as head of the CIA in September 2011. Despite ongoing speculation about other possible reasons for his resignation, the married father of two confirmed that his indiscretion was to blame.
"I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair. Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours," Petraeus said in his letter.
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TO READ FORMER CIA DIRECTOR DAVID PETRAEUS' FULL RESIGNATON LETTER CLICK HERE
Mike Morrell, the deputy CIA director and a longtime CIA officer, will likely be offered the job as acting director with a possibility for permanency, according to NBC News.
President Obama, who immediately accepted Petraeus' resignation, responded to his shocking departure in a public statement.
"David Petraeus has provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades ... He was one of the outstanding General officers of his generation ... By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger," Obama said.
"Today, I accepted his resignation as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency ... 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," he added.
TO READ PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FULL STATEMENT CLICK HERE
