14 November 2012 Last updated at 19:35 ET

Petraeus scandal: Broadwell and Kelley's access revoked

Jill Kelley and her husband are said to have been close friends with Gen Petraeus and Gen Allen

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Petraeus Affair

• Who's who?
• Timeline: Petraeus scandal
• Is this sex scandal different?
• Cult of the US general

The US military has revoked access for two women at the heart of the scandal that led to Friday's resignation of General David Petraeus as CIA director.

Security clearance has been suspended for his ex-mistress, Paula Broadwell.

And Jill Kelley's pass at the Florida air force base where she organised social events has been frozen.

An FBI inquiry into Mrs Kelley's complaints of email harassment revealed that Mrs Broadwell and Gen Petraeus had been having an affair.

Mrs Broadwell, a 40-year-old married mother of two, had apparently sent the anonoymous emails to Mrs Kelley warning her to stay away from Gen Petraeus.

Obama's backing

Mrs Broadwell, who wrote a biography of Gen Petraeus, held a high security clearance through her prior work as an Army intelligence officer.

It is not uncommon for those under investigation to have such clearance suspended, officials say.

An investigation is under way into how classified material ended up on the West Point graduate's computer and in her Charlotte, North Carolina home, which was searched by the FBI on Monday.

Meanwhile, a Pentagon spokesman said suspending Mrs Kelley's pass for MacDill Air Force Base was in the best interests of the local military community.

He confirmed the 37-year-old married mother of three would be able to enter the base, near Tampa, but only through the visitors' centre.

She was a "social liaison" for the facility, which is the home of US Central Command.

In his first public comments on the scandal, US President Barack Obama told reporters on Wednesday he had seen no evidence that Gen Petraeus' extramarital affair had compromised national security.

His resignation should be a "sidenote" to a distinguished career, said Mr Obama.

Gen Petraeus, who previously commanded the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan, will testify on Friday to Congress about September's deadly attack on the US consulate in Libya.

He will not be questioned about his affair with Mrs Broadwell, said lawmakers.

Meanwhile, General John Allen, the top US commander in Afghanistan, said he plans to "fully co-operate" with an investigation into allegedly flirtatious emails he sent to Mrs Kelley, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Adultery is illegal under military law, and Pentagon officials are sifting through thousands of pages of emails involving the married Gen Allen, 58, and Mrs Kelley.

'Prudent'

He is said to have addressed her as "sweetheart" and "dear" in the communication, although the messages are not said to be overtly sexual.

President Barack Obama praises David Petraeus

The commander, who has received the backing of President Obama and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, insists he has done nothing wrong.

But Mr Panetta said on Wednesday that suspending Gen Allen's nomination to be the top Nato commander in Europe, pending an inquiry, was the "prudent" thing to do.

Mrs Kelley is said to have developed close friendships with Gen Petraeus and Gen Allen. Both men wrote letters supporting her twin sister in a messy custody dispute.

Mrs Kelley is known to have thrown extravagant parties for the officers posted to MacDill and was reportedly appointed in August as an honorary consul representing South Korea.

In a recording of a phone call to police on Monday, Mrs Kelley asked for diplomatic immunity to have media crews outside her house removed.

"I'm an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability, so they should not be able to cross my property," Mrs Kelley can be heard saying.

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14 November 2012 Last updated at 13:05 ET

David Petraeus will testify to Congress on Benghazi

President Obama news conference

The former director of the CIA, David Petraeus, will testify to Congress about the attack on the US consulate in Libya, a leading senator says.

Dianne Feinstein said Gen Petraeus would give evidence only about September's Benghazi attack, in which four Americans were killed.

He would not testify about his resignation over an affair with biographer Paula Broadwell, she added.

Republican senators have called for a joint committee to probe the attack.

Confirmation that Gen Petraeus will attend a hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee comes after days of reports focussing on the fallout from the revelation that he had an extramarital affair with Mrs Broadwell.

Following his resignation it then emerged that Jill Kelley, who filed a harassment report over emails she received that led to the discovery of the affair, was in contact with Marine Gen John Allen.

The link to Gen Allen - currently commanding US forces in Afghanistan and nominated to be the top Nato commander in Europe - prompted the US defence secretary and the White House to stress they have complete confidence in him.

But Mr Panetta requested that Gen Allen's nomination as Supreme Allied Commander of US and Nato troops in Europe be placed on hold, saying it was the "prudent" thing to do.

Gen Allen has denied any wrongdoing and has spoken to Gen Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to emphasise he is innocent of misconduct, a spokesman for Gen Dempsey said.

Divisive issue

Gen Petraeus could appear before congressional committees as early as Thursday, although no final date for a hearing has been confirmed.

Ms Feinstein, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the general would be asked about the Benghazi attacks, which took place while he was in charge of the CIA.

The attack - initially blamed on a spontaneous protest over an anti-Islamic film - remains a divisive issue in Washington and a focal point of Republican anger.

Arizona Senator John McCain led a group of Republican senators on Wednesday calling for the establishment of a special committee to investigate the deaths of the four Americans, which included the Ambassador Christopher Stevens, in Benghazi.

They said there was need to find out whether there had been a cover-up over the attack, which Senator Lindsay Graham referred to in the same breath as Watergate and the Iran/Contra scandal.

Meanwhile, acting CIA Director Michael Morell began meetings with legislators in the Senate on Tuesday to answer questions about Gen Petraeus' resignation.

Legislators are concerned about a possible breach of national security after it was reported that classified material was discovered on Mrs Broadwell's computer.

However, FBI officials have said the agency concluded in its investigation that there had not been any security breach.

President Barack Obama is also due to make his first public comments on the scandal at a news conference scheduled for 13:00 EST (18:30 GMT), before meeting business leaders.

He hopes to concentrate on his economic agenda and discuss plans for reaching a deal to avoid a package of spending cuts and tax rises known as the "fiscal cliff".

'Honorary consul'

While Gen Petraeus attempts to focus on Benghazi, Pentagon investigators are also examining as many as 30,000 pages of Gen Allen's documents.

They are said to include extensive communication between the general and Mrs Kelley, a 37-year-old, married Florida socialite.

The emails are now understood to have included pet names such as "sweetheart" or "dear" but were not sexually explicit or seductive, the Associated Press reports.

In May, Mrs Kelley reported anonymous, harassing emails to the FBI. The agency launched an investigation that traced the emails to Mrs Broadwell and revealed her affair with Gen Petraeus.

Mrs Kelley has been described as a "social liaison" for the MacDill Air Force Base near Tampa, Florida. Home to the US Central Command, both generals have served at the base in recent years.

The Kelleys are said to have developed close friendships with Gen Petraeus and Gen Allen, both of whom wrote letters supporting Mrs Kelley's twin sister, Natalie Khawam, in a messy custody battle for her son.

Mrs Kelley is known to have thrown extravagant parties for the officers posted there and in August was appointed as an honorary consul representing South Korea, ABC News reports.

It is reported that her Mercedes car displays consular licence plates reading "JK1".

In a recording of a phone call to police on Monday, Mrs Kelley asked for diplomatic immunity to have media crews waiting outside her house removed.

"I'm an honorary consul general, so I have inviolability, so they should not be able to cross my property. I don't know if you want to get diplomatic protection involved as well," Mrs Kelley can be heard saying.

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10 November 2012 Last updated at 11:50 ET

Gmail probe led FBI to CIA chief David Petraeus's affair

BBC's Adam Brookes: "This is an extraordinary fall from grace for Petraeus"

CIA director David Petraeus's extra-marital affair, which forced him to resign, was uncovered during an investigation into a potential breach of his Gmail account, reports say.

Unnamed officials said the FBI was checking his private account when it found Mr Petraeus was having an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.

Mr Petraeus described his behaviour as "unacceptable" for the leader of the nation's main intelligence agency.

President Barack Obama has praised him.

His resignation came just three days after President Obama's re-election.

The four-star general became CIA boss in 2011 after heading international forces in Iraq and later in Afghanistan.

He was the highest-profile military officer of the post-9/11 years, winning plaudits for his role running the "surge" in Iraq and implementing a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan.

He left his command role in Afghanistan in mid-2011, resigning from the US Army to head the CIA after Leon Panetta became defence secretary.

'Extremely poor judgment'

Shortly after Mr Petraeus resigned, reports emerged that the FBI had uncovered the affair during the course of an investigation into a potential breach involving his emails.

The FBI was monitoring Mr Petraeus's email account to check whether Mrs Broadwell had access to it, administration officials were quoted as saying.

FBI agents then met Mr Petraeus to discuss the investigation.

Announcing his decision to stand down, the former general was full of contrition.

Paula Broadwell graduated from the same West Point academy as Mr Petraeus

"After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extra-marital affair," Mr Petraeus said in a statement.

"Such behaviour is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours. This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation."

Mrs Broadwell is a Harvard University research associate and PhD candidate at King's College, London.

She has a military background, graduating from the same West Point Academy as Mr Petraeus. She is married to radiographer Scott Broadwell and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

She spent months alongside the then-general in Afghanistan while researching her 2011 book, All In: The Education of General David Petraeus. The book was widely seen as a positive account of his leadership methods.

Last week Mrs Broadwell wrote a piece for Newsweek entitled General David Petraeus's Rules for Living.

Obama praise

In his statement, Mr Obama said Mr Petraeus had "provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades", citing both his time as CIA director and as a top general.

"By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger."

"Going forward, my thoughts and prayers are with Dave and Holly Petraeus, who has done so much to help military families through her own work."

Senior Obama adviser David Axelrod said the president had not known about the Petraeus issue during the campaign, and that the former general had come to Mr Obama after the election to offer his resignation.

CIA deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting director of the agency, the White House confirmed. Eventually Mr Obama must nominate a new director to head the agency, who will then need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Mr Morell, who is well respected at both the White House and on Capitol Hill, also served as acting director following the departure of former CIA chief Leon Panetta.

He is expected to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee at a hearing scheduled for next week on the deaths of US personnel during an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

The CIA faces a potential period of instability after Mr Petraeus' resignation, as it also deals with a budget squeeze.

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9 November 2012 Last updated at 15:31 ET

CIA director Petraeus stands down over affair

David Petraeus retired from 37 years in the military to become CIA director

CIA director David Petraeus has resigned from his post because of an extramarital affair.

In a statement, Mr Petraeus said he had submitted his resignation to President Barack Obama, and that he had shown "extremely poor judgment".

He said: "Such behaviour is unacceptable... as the leader of an organisation such as ours".

Mr Petraeus became CIA boss in 2011 after heading international forces in Iraq, then in Afghanistan.

He was the highest-profile military officer of the post-9/11 years, winning plaudits for his role running the "surge" in Iraq and implementing a counter-insurgency strategy in Afghanistan.

"After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extra-marital affair," Mr Petraeus said in a statement.

"Such behaviour is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organisation such as ours. This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation."

In a statement, Mr Obama said Mr Petraeus had "provided extraordinary service to the United States for decades", citing both his time as CIA director and service to the military.

"By any measure, through his lifetime of service David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger."

"Going forward, my thoughts and prayers are with Dave and Holly Petraeus, who has done so much to help military families through her own work."

CIA deputy director Michael Morell will serve as acting director of the agency, the White House confirmed.

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