CIA Director Petraeus Resigns Citing Extramarital Affair

CIA Director David Petraeus resigned Friday from his post, citing an 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 as D/CIA," Petraeus said in a message to CIA staff.

"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 took over the helm of the Central Intelligence agency just over a year ago in September 2011 after heading U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan. He said President Barack Obama had accepted his resignation.

"Dave's decision to step down represents the loss of one of our nation's most respected public servants," Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said in a statement.

"Whether he was in uniform leading our nation's troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, or at CIA headquarters leading the effort to generate intelligence used to keep our nation safe, Dave inspired people who had the privilege of working with him."

President Barack Obama hailed the "extraordinary service" of Petraeus.

"David Petraeus has provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades," Obama said in a statement.

"By any measure, he was one of the outstanding general officers of his generation," he added.