WASHINGTON (AP) – Retired Army Gen. David Petraeus apologized to Congress on Tuesday for sharing classified information with his biographer and mistress, Paula Broadwell. It was his first public testimony before lawmakers since resigning as CIA director.
Petraeus appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee, offering his recommendations for how the U.S. should address what he called a “revolutionary upheaval that is unparalleled in its modern history.”
He said the progress achieved so far in fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq has been “inadequate” and suggested the U.S. increase support to Iraqi security forces and Sunni tribal and Kurdish fighters. In Syria, he recommended the U.S. take a harder stance against President Bashar Assad. He supported setting up enclaves protected by coalition airpower where moderate Sunnis could be supported, civilians could find refuge and additional forces could be trained.
“The Middle East is not part of the world that plays by Las Vegas rules: What happens in the Middle East is not going to stay in the Middle East,” he warned.
Petraeus began his testimony, however, with an extraordinary apology for events stemming from his personal life. He was director of the CIA from September 2011 to November 2012, when he resigned after acknowledging an affair with Broadwell, a married U.S. Army reserve officer who met Petraeus while researching a book about his wartime leadership in Iraq and Afghanistan.