Petraeus Resigns Over Extramarital Affair

November 09, 2012

Petraeus Resigns Over Extramarital Affair

CIA Director David Petraeus resigned abruptly, citing an extramarital affair he had, NBC News reports.

From a Petraeus statement: "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."

Wonk Wire has more details, including the identity of the woman.

Josh Marshall: "Like most people I find this news pretty flabbergasting. I will say there's some important context: extra-marital affairs in CIA, however common they may be, are always a big, big deal since they invite potential blackmail. So whatever else is going on here it's significantly different than an ordinary politician having an affair."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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November 09, 2012