Petraeus resigns from CIA over affair David Petraeus, the most decorated and respected US soldier of his generation, has resigned as the director of the Central Intelligence Agency after admitting that he had had an extramarital affair. Mr Petraeus offered his resignation to President Barack Obama in a meeting at the White House on Thursday "for personal reasons" and said in a letter to staff on Friday that Mr Obama had accepted his resignation. "After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair," the letter said. Such behaviour is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours. The shock announcement on Mr Obama's second full day back in the White House after his election victory coincided with controversy over the CIA's role in the accounting for the September attack on the US consulate in Libya. "I am completely confident that the CIA will continue to thrive and carry out its essential mission," Mr Obama said in a statement. Mr Petraeus and other government and intelligence officials are due to appear before Congress to be questioned about Libya, but it is not clear whether the outgoing CIA director will appear. The letter of resignation makes no mention of the Libya controversy. A four-star general, Mr Petraeus became famous for his role in turning around the US military mission in Iraq and then in Afghanistan. Mr Petraeus is married to Holly Petraeus, assistant director for service member affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Ms Petraeus has been a vocal advocate on behalf of military families, particularly on the issue of unscrupulous lending practices. Her hiring was cheered by consumer advocates and helped limit criticism of the agency's efforts to aid service members at risk of being swindled by predatory lenders. The pair has been married for 37 years.