The Washington Post's legendary journalist Bob Woodward divulged Monday that founder and chairman of Fox News, Roger Ailes, wanted former CIA Director General David Petraeus to run for presidency in 2012.
According to the report, Ailes, sent the message through the network's national security analyst, Kathleen T. McFarland, who was visiting Petraeus in Afghanistan.
The Washington Post has also published a portion of the conversation between McFarland and Petraeus discussing the matter, it can be heard here.
The article indicates, "Ailes asked a Fox News analyst ....to pass on his thoughts to Petraeus, who was then the commander of U.S. and coalition forces there. Petraeus, Ailes advised, should turn down an expected offer from President Obama to become CIA director and accept nothing less than the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the top military post. If Obama did not offer the Joint Chiefs post, Petraeus should resign from the military and run for president, Ailes suggested."
General Petraeus has made headlines recently, after he submitted his resignation as the Director of the CIA due to an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell.
Petraeus submitted his resignation to President Barrack Obama on last week citing the extramarital affair as the cause for stepping down.
According to the New York Times, Petraeus said in his statement, "After being married for over 37 years, I showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair...Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours. This afternoon, the president graciously accepted my resignation."
Petraeus was appointed Director of CIA in September of 2011. Prior to this, the 60-year-old served as a four star general in the U.S. Army. He led the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Deputy Director of CIA, Michael J. Morell, will fill in the position.
"By any measure, through his lifetime of service, David Petraeus has made our country safer and stronger," said President Obama in a statement released upon Petraeus' resignation,
Without directly addressing the affair, Mr. Obama added: "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. I wish them the very best at this difficult time," as reported by The New York Times.
Holly Petraeus is the assistant director of the Office of Service member Affairs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
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