CIA Chief Resigns Over Affair

WASHINGTON—Central Intelligence Agency Director David Petraeus resigned after a probe into whether someone else was using his email led to the discovery that he was having an extramarital affair, according to several people briefed on the matter.

A Federal Bureau of Investigation inquiry into use of one of Mr. Petraeus’s personal email accounts led agents to believe the woman or someone close to her had accessed them, the people said.

Multiple officials familiar with the investigation identified the woman with whom Mr. Petraeus had the affair as Paula Broadwell, who wrote a biography of him called “All In: The Education of Gen. David Petraeus.” Efforts to reach Ms. Broadwell on Friday weren’t successful. A spokeswoman for her publisher didn’t immediately comment.

The resignation, which surprised the nation’s capital on Friday afternoon, represented an abrupt fall in the career of a man who had been one of the most celebrated military leaders of his time, a four-star general credited with turning the tide in Iraq and reversing the momentum of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The computer-security investigation points to one reason Mr. Petraeus and the White House believed the popular official couldn’t remain in the senior intelligence position: The affair raised the possibility his improper relationship could have compromised national security.

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