Sen. Saxby Chambliss ‘Confident’ David Petraeus Was Truthful During Confirmation Hearing
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ABC News(NEW YORK) — Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia said Sunday morning on “This Week” he is “confident” that David Petraeus, the former CIA director who resigned Friday following an alleged extramarital affair with his biographer, was truthful during his confirmation hearings for his post in the Obama administration.
“I don’t know (the) exact date of when all of this process began and what took place there, but we’re — we’re confident that David Petraeus was very straight up with us during the confirmation hearings,” said Chambliss, the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, who said he learned of the FBI investigation that uncovered the alleged affair on Friday.
Chambliss called Petraeus — who led the surge in Iraq under former President Bush and also led U.S. troops in Afghanistan before being named head of the CIA – a “great leader” and “a great patriot,” but said it was appropriate for him to resign.
“David Petraeus is a great leader, a great patriot, and he is a guy who has probably contributed more to the safety of the United States of America over the last decade than any one single individual. And he’s a good leader. And what leaders do when they’re put in a difficult position is, they lead,” Chambliss said. “And he led here by doing what he thought was the right thing. And I think he did do the right thing. I don’t think there’s any question.”
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington also praised Petraeus Sunday morning on “This Week.”
“I think that General Petraeus has served our country incredibly well in many different forms and fashions. And like all men and women who serve our country – have served our country – we owe him a debt of gratitude,” Murray said. “And I hope this moves forward quickly for him and his family to resolve.”
Chambliss also noted that Petraeus, who was scheduled to testify this week to the House and Senate intelligence committees regarding the attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya, could still be called.
“But at the end of the day, I would not rule out General Petraeus being called to testify. That still could happen at some point in time,” Chambliss said.
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