CIA top boss Petraeus quits citing affair

CIA director David Petraeus resigned as head of the leading US spy agency on Friday, saying he had engaged in an extramarital affair and acknowledging he 'showed extremely poor judgment.'

An extramarital affair has ended the career of CIA chief David Petraeus.

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The affair was discovered by the FBI during an investigation into a possible breach of his email. The White House was informed of it on Wednesday.

Petraeus, an ex-US commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, met President Barack Obama on Thursday and offered to resign.

“Such behaviour is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours. This afternoon, the President graciously accepted my resignation,” Petraeus said in a statement on Friday.

The woman he was found to be involved with has been identified as Paula Broadwell, author of All In: The Education of General David Petraeus, a recent biography of the CIA director.