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Wow. We knew President Obama would be replacing plenty of key people, but not like this: CIA chief David Petraeus is resigning over an extramarital affair, reports NBC News. Details are still scarce, but Petraeus has submitted his letter of resignation, which begins:
- "Yesterday afternoon, I went to the White House and asked the President to be allowed, for personal reasons, to resign from my position as D/CIA. 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." (Full text here.)
Petraeus took over the CIA in 2011 after leading the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Obama praised him today for his "extraordinary service," reports CNN. The president's statement didn't mention the scandal except to say that his “thoughts and prayers are with Dave and Holly Petraeus" at this "difficult time." Deputy CIA director Mike Morrell is expected to step in on an interim basis and may get the job permanently, says NBC. (Update: Slate is reporting that the "other woman" is Petraeus' biographer. Click for that.)
