There has been no national security breach in the issue that led to the resignation of CIA Director David Petraeus, a top US Senator, having access to intelligence matters, said on Monday.
Gen (rtd) Petraeus resigned last week admitting to an extramarital affair.
“I hate to discuss it, except to say there are a number of things that one has to consider, the first of which was there any kind of national security breach. To date, there was not,” Senator Diena Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told the Fox News in an interview.
Ms. Feinstein said she talked to Mr. Petraeus twice on Friday and he said to her, “I’ve done an egregiously dishonourable thing and I need now to do the honourable thing. When I thought about it and, for me, it’s heartbreak. I mean, this is a truly bright man, a credible person, a great leader, and, could have really been a super transitional figure for the CIA. This is very, very hard and I think he did the right thing,” Ms.Feinstein said, adding that US President Barack Obama really had no choice but to accept the resignation.
Ms.Feinstein said the incident came as a big shock to her.
“We received no advanced notice. It was like a lightning bolt,” she said.
“I have not been told there was an affair. What I was told is that there was somebody else that he knew and was close to, and, that Mrs.Broadwell (biographer of Petraeus) sent these threatening e-mails to her, and, she was frightened and went to the FBI. Oh, I can’t believe it. But, that’s what it is,” she said.
