David Petraeus cited an ‘extramarital affair’ as the reason for resigning from his position as director of the CIA. A lot of questions are being thrown around tonight, however, about the timing of this bombshell after learning that he was supposed to testify before Congress next week on Benghazi. Is there a connection here or is it really about the affair? More from NBC on the latter:
Officials told The Associated Press that information about the affair surfaced over the course of an FBI probe. Meanwhile, law enforcement sources told NBC News that the FBI is currently investigating Petraeus' biographer for improperly trying to access his email. The sources emphasized that Petraeus was not under investigation and added that they did not believe the investigation into author Paula Broadwell would result in criminal charges.
"In his mind, in his views, with his code of ethics and morals, he did a very dishonorable thing," a U.S. military official and long-time aide to Petraeus told NBC News. "This had nothing to do with Benghazi, nothing to do with his relationship with the White House," the official added in reference to the recent questions and criticism leveled at the general for his agency's response to the recent attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. […]
Military justice considers extramarital affairs—ripe ground for blackmailing—to be security threats and possible grounds for court martial, The AP reported.
It’s still unclear as to why it’s unlikely the investigation would result in criminal charges given that Broadwell ‘improperly tried to access his email’ and ‘possibly gained access to classified information.’
According to a spokesman for the Senate Intelligence Committee, “acting CIA Director Mike Morell [will] testify Thursday in place of Petraeus.”