BREAKING NEWS: CIA Director Petraeus submits resignation letter, citing extramarital affair

[kpete]

Source: MSNBC

BREAKING NEWS: Director of CIA, David Petraeus, submits letter of resignation

BREAKING NEWS: CIA Director Petraeus submits resignation letter, citing extramarital affair


Updated Link:
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/09/15054517-cia-director-david-petraeus-resigns-cites-extramarital-affair

Gen. David Petraeus has resigned as director of the Central Intelligence Agency, MSNBC reports.

MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell broke the news Friday afternoon, reading Petraeus' resignation letter on air.

Petraeus wrote in the letter to the CIA staff on Friday that he had gone to the White House on Thursday and asked the president "for personal reasons" to resign.

"After being married for more than 37 years I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair," Petraeus wrote in his letter. "Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as a leader of an organization such as ours."

Petraeus said that the president accepted his resignation on Thursday.

This is a breaking news entry. More to come...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/09/david-petraeus-resigns-cia-director-affair_n_2103094.html

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/default.aspx?id=11881780&q=patreaus&search=p&1=st&1

---

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. Tweet from watchdog progressive

Watchdog Progressive ‏@Watchdogsniffer
BREAKING: Gen. David Petraeus resigns CIA due to personal reasons..... engaged in an extra-marital affair via #MSNBC #p2

[demwing]

3. holy cow!

You have to wonder if he was holding that letter till after the election

[JohnnyRingo]

22. That's a good question

I hadn't considered that Petraeus may have been waiting so as not to affect the election. If so, I respect his patriotic decision not to steal the limelight from the CIC.

[SoapBox]

45. Ditto...had not considered that. nt

[erpowers]

65. Not Patriotic

I am not trying to be mean to you, but his decision to wait until after the election, if that is what he did, was not patriotic. It was a good thing, but not patriotic.

There was no reason for General Petraeus' affair to be a part of the election. President Obama did not have anything to do with the affair. It was not and is not in the President's job description to prevent people from cheating on their spouses.

[muriel_volestrangler]

75. But some would have claimed it was Obama forcing him out

and they would have tried it to Benghazi (eg Fox News). Petraeus is generally seen as Republican-leaning. No, it'd wouldn't make any sense, but then they gave up doing that some time ago. It would have been a mess, and I think it's good that it didn't happen right before the election; if he did delay until after, that reflects well on him (he's not a crazy Republican).

[Mojorabbit]

90. I am wondering if he had any role in furthering the

rumors re the Benghazi mess.

[JohnnyRingo]

106. Whether you consider it patriotic or not...

...and whether or not you like him, he's a lifer in the military, and as such I'm sure he respects the chain of command.

[crunch60]

125. I don't believe anyone knows about his decision regarding "when" to turn

in his resignation, so let's stop all the guessing and innuendos. Serves no purpose because we'll never know.

[loudsue]

4. Wow! CIA director having an affair? Pillow talk could be dangerous

to our national security.

[pasto76]

27. yes. Being blackmailed, even moresoe

which is the real concern.

[Scuba]

31. Blackmail? All you have to say is "OK, go public", which he did.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

138. Especially those from the Soviet Union!

[Democrats_win]

2. Turn out the lights the Petraeus is over.

Part of me wouldn't mind seeing the CIA closed. Although they did help get OBL, they didn't stop 9/11. They're pretty expensive for doing such a poor job.

[xtraxritical]

66. Bush did not bother to read the Presidential Daily Breifing that the CIA presented to him

regarding possible Al Qaeda attacks on US soil. I think his stated reason for resigning is probably cover and he was asked to leave by the President for his handling of the Benghazi attacks.

[DonViejo]

86. Nonsense. nt

[coalition_unwilling]

127. They completely missed the impending breakup of the USSR. What a bunch of fuckwads - n/t

[Suich]

5. Petraeus needs to answer some questions about Benghazi!

[coalition_unwilling]

128. He deserves the same treatment as Bradley Manning received and is receiving. Full

Court Martial. Solitary confinement and forced to stand naked.

[Mme. Defarge]

6. Extra-Marital Affair???

Enough of a reason to resign? Vulnerable to blackmail?

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

20. No. Once you admit to whatever you've done ...

... blackmailers got nothing.

[LanternWaste]

43. He admitted post hoc due to the affair., not despite it.

He admitted post hoc due to the affair., not despite it.

Had he kept silent, the potential for blackmail would indeed have been present.

[Mme. Defarge]

57. What about the potential

BEFORE he publicly confessed and resigned?

[onenote]

61. Do you think President Clinton should have resigned?

I don't. What makes Petraeus' infidelity more troubling. Do you think the President has a lower security clearance than the CIA director?

[dsc]

80. One difference is that CIA agents who have affairs

are often forced to resign.

[onenote]

84. Why should they be?

If its because of the risk of them disclosing secrets or being blackmailed, what differentiates them from any other official with a top secret security clearance, including the President?

[jeff47]

99. Because they can't hold a security clearance.

By having an affair, they've demonstrated they will lie to someone who is supposed to be extremely important to them.

[onenote]

100. Isn't that true of anyone that has a security clearance, including the president

I'm playing devil's advocate a bit here, but seeing as I didn't think President Clinton's infidelity while in office justified calls for his resignation, I'm wondering why it seems so self-evident that Petraeus, or others who have security clearances, are held to a different standard.

[jeff47]

118. The President doesn't have a security clearance

He is the security clearance.

Congress delegated the entire security clearance process to the Executive branch. The process flows from executive orders, many of which delegate the process further.

What that means is the President has access to all classified information no matter what. Even if he has been convicted of espionage. There's no one who has the authority to cut off his access as long as he's in office.

[onenote]

120. doesn't that just make my point?

If the reason for demanding the resignation of someone with access to secret information who has an affair is that they might compromise security by letting slip some information or might be susceptible to blackmail, why wouldn't the same standard apply to the president, who has the greatest access to secret information of anyone?

[jeff47]

121. Patraus's resignation isn't to take away his clearance

The resignation is because he can't do the job because his clearance is gone.

There's no mechanism to take away a President's clearance.

[olddad56]

108. He did not have sex with that woman, said so himself.

should Bush have resigned for banging Condi?

[Javaman]

52. It's against military regs, believe it or not. nt

[KeepItReal]

59. He's not in the Army any more

Retired in 2011.

[xtraxritical]

72. Just yesterday General Sinclare got caught up in a similar scandal.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014296249#post16

[sarge43]

103. He's retired. The UCMJ doesn't apply. n/t

[Javaman]

148. Duh, you're right. My bad. nt

[sarge43]

149. It doesn't apply that often to active duty types.

An army corps, a major air command or fleet could be formed up with all the military who violate that article. Looking at you, John McCain.

[awoke_in_2003]

130. Affairs are a court martial offense...

under the UCMJ

[grasswire]

7. he was blackmailable ----- holy crap

So, so against national security.

[struggle4progress]

8. NBC: David Petraeus resigns from CIA

3:00PM EST November 9. 2012 - NBC reported Friday that CIA director David Petraeus has resigned from the CIA, citing an extramarital affair.

NBC's Andrea Mitchell said the resignation was submitted in a letter dated Friday and was accepted by the White House.

In a letter, Petraeus noted that he had been married for 37 years and had exercised "extremely poor judgment' in conducting an extramarital affair ...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/09/david-petraeus-cia-resign-nbc/1695271/

[GeorgeGist]

58. Why do people parrot ...

what the OP has already made clear?

[rosesaylavee]

79. no doubt the admins have combined multiple related threads into one. nt

[struggle4progress]

89. IIRC OP when I first posted had no link

Red edit message is currently suppressed due to high traffic

I looked for, and posted, material I thought provided more info

[ronnie624]

153. To look smart, informed and snappy;

an opportunity to post a link and drive up your post count.

[NRaleighLiberal]

9. Link from TPM - embedded video clip from MSNBC

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/andrea-mitchell-david-petraeus-resigns-due-to-extramarital

video

[pinto]

18. The MSNBC video clip - Mitchell reads the letter. Apparently the President has accepted resignation.

[skydive forever]

10. This is surprising because to be a general

you have to be very disciplined. This shows even someone like him is human deep down.

[erpowers]

54. Not Really

It seems that you really do not have to be very disciplined to be a general. A number of generals, admirals, and high ranking officers get into trouble concerning sex and other things. Generals and high ranking officers can be a wild bunch. It seems you just do not hear about it all the time.

[Rozlee]

81. It happened to Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The scuttlebutt claims he even wanted to leave Mamie for Kay Summersby but got such a dressing down from the brass back home, that he backed down. I was reading once that men in high offices and positions of power have more testosterone than men in everyday life. That usually translates to higher sex drives according to the article. Individual morals and conscience take over from there.

[sarge43]

102. Not really

Eisenhower and Kay Summersby immediately come to mind.

[Thrill]

11. He must be fucking a high profile person in Washington

Or he wouldn't be resigning

[grahamhgreen]

12. Awesome! Now can we appoint someone who understands that blowback from these idiotic CIA exploits

(such as hiring bin Laden) is more costly than doing nothing?

I suggest Kucinich.

[coalition_unwilling]

129. Would it be utter heresy to suggest Ralph Nader or Noam Chomsky? - n/t

[grahamhgreen]

131. How bout Valerie Plame?

[coalition_unwilling]

132. I'd settle for her or her husband. One thing's for sure. Neither would have

missed the impending break-up of the USSR.

Jay-sus, you can't make this shit up.

[SharonRB]

162. I said this to my husband the other night

I was only half joking. I'd love to see Republican heads explode by having her or Joe Wilson named as head of the CIA. Talk about karma!

[grahamhgreen]

163. You know, they should just float the names to drive the R's crazy!

[wicket]

13. Cheated on his wife!

WOW!

[valerief]

14. Jeez, more sex nonsense wallpapering the news. What a moronic country. Avoid real problems

to deal with consensual sex nonsense.

Unless, of course, the sex nonsense is a cover for something real.

[Scuba]

35. Bingo. There is no blackmail if he just says "yes, I did that".

[Zen Democrat]

40. If it's the CIA Director it's inexcusable because he's open to blackmail.

[valerief]

48. All of our elected officials are open to blackmail. nt

[onenote]

70. Why is it less excusable than the president himself being unfaithful

I didn't think President Clinton's infidelity disqualified him from serving as president and he obviously has as high a security clearance as anyone in government.

[rurallib]

15. so much for that run at the presidency.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

16. My, my, how the darlings of the moralizing right turn out . . . nt

[JohnnyRingo]

17. He must have known it was coming out soon

That's the reason he has to go. If the CIA director puts himself in a position where he can be blackmailed, it puts US security at risk.

Surprising conduct from a man who is known for his professionalism.

[BainsBane]

19. This is about Benghazi

The CIA screwed up the intel and made the White House look bad.

[moobu2]

23. He may have been flushed out by the investigation

or was scared he would have been found out. There's no way he could have hidden anything like this.

[mac56]

25. Or maybe... and I know this suggestion is just plain nuts...

but maybe it is just what it appears to be.

[randome]

39. That's the nuttiest suggestion so far!

[lexw]

42. :)

[BainsBane]

44. MSNBC reported that Obama was about to dump Petraeus

over Benghazi. That was before the affair story become public. Evidently he has never been a good fit with the CIA since he comes from a military background.

[Liberal Veteran]

62. Worst Conspiracy Theory Ever!

[wordpix]

111. if so, it's a wacky reason to leave service

[Agnosticsherbet]

26. According to Petreus, there was screwing going on...

But to be unfaithful with an entire city? I can't see it.

I don't see any evidence this is about Benghazi, and if he was being fired, convincing him to trash his own life is the wrong way to do it.

[valerief]

49. That makes the most sense to me. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

73. Utter nonsense. Right is spinnging that shite. Petraeus fell of own moral failing. He wasn't pushed.

[BainsBane]

115. This is what I heard

Before the affair story broke. On MSNBC they said that Obama wanted to get rid of Petraeus. They thought it was a result of Benghazi. Now they could have been wrong. Then a couple of hours later this story breaks. I did NOT base my post on a right wing source.

[underpants]

113. I heard that on tape delay of Hannity's show (sit hosts)

of course when all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail

[Blue_Tires]

21. I'm wondering if the "affair" is a smokescreen for a much worse reason...

Something the general public couldn't easily digest and dismiss...Something that isn't as media-friendly as a sex sandal between consenting adults...

[bayareamike]

24. Any hypotheses? nt

[Blue_Tires]

28. Some people are already saying Benghazi

And it could be, but he was CIA so it could be damn near anything...

[glinda]

38. He had an affair. It was going to be outed and used against the current Government? He decided

to step down to avoid more tension in this Country?

[ciking724]

32. Maybe like a non-heterosexual affair? That was my first thought.

My next thought is that Rove and his cohorts tried to get him to play along with that Benghazi thing and he wouldn't, so they were going to expose him. This sounds more believable to me.

[demhottie]

41. sounds plausible

[Maven]

82. Holy crap - I bet you're absolutely right about Rove blackmailing him

[struggle4progress]

29. CIA Director Petraeus Resigns, Cites Extramarital Affair

... "Yesterday afternoon, I went to the White House and asked the President to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position," Petraeus said in his resignation letter. "After being married for over 37 years, 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."

"This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation," Petraeus said in the letter ...

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/national-international/NATL-CIA-Director-Petraeus-Resigns-Cites-Extra-Marital-Affair-178159541.html

[are_you_serious_1234]

122. The story goes that the FBI was investigating something broader when they ran into this affair.

Anyone have any theories of what that investigation may have been about?

[struggle4progress]

124. they were investigating her as a source of leaks, according to rumor

[are_you_serious_1234]

135. Ok. Hadn't heard that rumor. Thanks for the update.

[Kolesar]

30. Petraeus, betrayus,

but whatever you do, don't lay us!

[PCIntern]

33. Honest to God, I thought this was an Onion headline...

wow.

[Schema Thing]

34. geez, James Bond does not approve this message!

[windowpilot]

36. Motherfucker betrayed us, and his ol lady.

n/t

[demwing]

50. I dont FEEL betrayed

how did he betray us?

[windowpilot]

74. He betray the American people with his assessment of Iraq...

Welcome to DU...

[demwing]

114. welcome?

Thanks, I guess? I've been here for years...

[demwing]

134. oh you're being "clever"

Sorry, I didn't notice

[windowpilot]

139. My apologies if I offend.

I try to ignore all the 180's on this site, but sometimes it's hard when they ask stupid questions...

[demwing]

143. You know there are no "stupid questions" :)

but I have heard some very ridiculous answers.

[demwing]

147. Yep, I'm sure.

what else ya got?

[windowpilot]

150. I've got nothing for you.

Some people live and learn, others just post...

[demwing]

154. And in the end, we agree

[Marrah_G]

157. If you have been here for so long you should realize that your behavior is against the rules

[MoonchildCA]

37. I agree with others...

...you have to question whether this is about an affair. Though embarrassing and a bit scandalous, it's not necessarily a career killer. Resignation is.

Whatever his reasons were, I respect him for holding off until after the election.

[demwing]

46. So...Big Dog to run the CIA?

I can't imagine a smarter, more connected person, with the ability to see all angles on a situation.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

78. I can't see Bill being interested. Hillary, though, after Sec of State, hmmm? nt

[olddad56]

109. Let Bill take Hillary's job.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

117. Bill might like that. But it would drive the right wing crazy. Oh, wait, they already are crazy. nt

[sarge43]

151. Nope. Can't wet that water. n/t

[blueclown]

47. Petraeus/Gingrich 2016

[struggle4progress]

51. David Petraeus resigns as CIA director

By Greg Miller, Friday, November 9, 3:18 PM

... In a statement, Obama said that Petraeus has “provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades,” saying 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 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 U.S. Army career that carried him from West Point to leadership positions in which he was tapped to lead the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/david-petraeus-resigns-as-cia-director/2012/11/09/636d204e-2aa8-11e2-bab2-eda299503684_story.html

[barbtries]

53. he should apologize to his wife,

or get a divorce, but why does he have to resign his job? republicans in congress never do.

[MrYikes]

55. He must now lose his retirement account. To accept it would be dishonorable.

[ciking724]

56. Didn't that clown Bob Woodward make reference to another story

that the Romney people were peddling, but tried to hook him with inside information on Benghazi? I remember reading something that Woodward said a few days ago, when he said they showed up at his house.

[randome]

60. Yeah, but they gave him nothing but delays and obfuscation.

To the point where even Woodward was disgusted with them.

[Octafish]

63. So. Another general gets caught with his pants down?

What was it Gen. Patton said about soldiers who won't fornicate?

Whatever it was, he wasn't talking about the head of the CIA.

[olddad56]

64. would ypu expect more from him? Not me.

[Indi Guy]

67. Little doubt that the CIA itself wanted him out - so he was nuetralized. n/t

[graham4anything]

68. Good riddance, tata farewell, auf weidershein goodbye

this is good news indeed.

[ffr]

69. Friday news dump. I'm resigning & after the election

It's what is best for the country. He did right in his timing.

[TwilightGardener]

71. Whoa. That's a disappointment.

[grahamhgreen]

76. Pictures!!!! Can we see the pics, please?

[are_you_serious_1234]

112. I don't really want to see any pictures.

Thanks.

[Gin]

77. Maybe baby on the way

[Dash87]

83. Did the Republicans try to blackmail him to attack Obama on Benghazi?

Totally baseless theory. Just speculating.

[HereSince1628]

85. IDIOT!!!! Penis' little head thinking rather than his BIG head

String the ass up on his petard and be DONE with him.

[Laurian]

87. I've never been a fan of Petraeus, so I'm not distressed by this. But

I will be interested to see if there is more to this story.

[reflection]

88. Man, the wingnuts are going to be howling at the moon

for the next few weeks. Even the hamster that spins the wheel of the Free Republic server will be screaming "CONSPIRACY"

[aletier_v]

123. freepers ARE screaming conspiracy but I'm fascinated by

how they hate Patraeus, too.

Both sites hate Boehner, too.

It's quite interesting.

[SouthLouisianaWoman]

91. Tom Ricks on CNN just said...

...that this may be a result of the Army officer on trial for sexual offenses. Ricks said that the officer--Sinclair--has supposedly said that if he's going to do time then he's going to take others with him. And maybe Petraeus is one of them.

[olddad56]

107. Cool, bring them all down.

[vdogg]

92. This must be

The sex scandal bombshell that drudge was talking about. Honestly thought they were just trying to stir up bullshit before the election. Guess even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

[TwilightGardener]

133. No--the Drudge story was Bob Menendez and hookers.

[Caeser67]

93. John McCain

Just lost his favorite General. Goes the hope of Republicans, EVERYWHERE.

[Solly Mack]

94. lolololololol

[Panasonic]

95. Bye Betrayus.

Put in a real bulldog that'll help start cutting off black ops and redirect the slush funds back to the U.S. Treasury.

[bobthedrummer]

96. US COIN man...SOF...

kick

[MrDiaz]

97. SINCE WHEN DOES

having an affair make you not qualified to direct the CIA? Is he still gonna testify for Obama on the Benghazi BS?

[olddad56]

101. Could it have been Paula Broadwell?

[csziggy]

110. That's what they are saying on MSNBC Hardball

And that she may have seen information she should not have. I was working on a project and not paying complete attention so I didn't catch all the details.

It was discussed on Hardball - watch the re-run coming up in at 7 ET.

[watrwefitinfor]

104. I'm still trying to figure out why he was made head of CIA to start with! n/t

[nolabels]

158. Probably because he hadn't been in working for the C.I.A. yet

or a least had a W-2 with their name on it. These military brass guys are all about the resumes

[Phlem]

105. Is that all

or is he covering up something much worse?

-p

[Ter]

119. Let me get this stright

The CIA covers up the JFK assassination and untold other secrets. Yet the head of it can't hide something as simple as his own affair? Wow, anyone that incompetent should resign.

[CRH]

126. lol, what a joke, ...

All the sleasy shit the CIA has done over the years in the name of country and Wall St., and he is going to fall on an infidelity sword? I smell something much more rotten than is being said.

[cstanleytech]

136. You all remember when Cheney back in 2007 said

"Like most Americans I admire the integrity and the candor that General Petraeus showed in his hearings before Congress." ? I wonder if he regrets those words now?

[adicortez]

137. He was a great General.

If Gingrich can come back (for a short-lived run at POTUS) so can he. I hope he doesn't. Obama had nothing but good things to say about the man so I'll trust his judgement.

[cstanleytech]

140. Great? Thats more of a matter of opinion really but lets assume he was one

he is still a piece of shit for cheating on his wife just like Clinton while being a great president (in my opinion atleast) is a piece of shit for cheating on Hillary and Gingrich is a piece of shit for cheating on his varies wives.

[David__77]

141. That's a ludicrous reason to resign.

In fact, if he is otherwise the best person for the job, it is entirely irresponsible and the resignation should be rejected.

[pointsoflight]

142. The person he had an affair with breeched security and accessed his e-mails.

[David__77]

144. Ah, a different story.

And I would hope the media are framing it as such.

[Locut0s]

159. It's the media what do you expect. If there's sex involved NOTHING else matters.

[aandegoons]

146. Looks like betrayal runs deep in this scum.

Who would have ever guessed.

[ronnie624]

152. As for who will replace Petraeus in the longterm,

a former senior intelligence official told AOL Defense that Mike Vickers is a leading candidate.

"The prevailing wisdom is that Mike Vickers wants this with all his heart and soul," the official told AOL Defense. Vickers, now the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, is the legendary former CIA operative who led the war against the Soviets in Afghanistan chronicled in the book, Charlie Wilson's War. Another candidate is Stephanie O'Sullivan, the principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

I guess we can look forward to more of the same old shit from the CIA.

[glinda]

155. This would be a great time to clean house over there.

If even possible....

[ronnie624]

160. RIP anyone who makes an earnest attempt.

[Tutonic]

156. Hearing that she made threats to "two non-family women"

Could the General be a Playa?

[glinda]

161. I thought it was one? Who is the second one?