Petraeus' ex-lover's 'guilt'

The brother of Paula Broadwell, the former lover of David Petraeus, has told of her "guilt and shame" over the affair that led to the downfall of the former CIA chief.

Stephen Kranz, Broadwell's brother, told People magazine: "She's been devastated by this.

"She is filled with guilt and shame for what she's done and she's incredibly sorry for the pain she's caused her husband, her family, Petraeus's family. She accepts responsibility for her actions and knows she made a mistake.

"Now (she) is really focused on repairing and protecting her family and trying to really focus on her husband and her children and protect the kids from this".

Petraeus stepped down on November 9 as head of the CIA after admitting to an affair with Broadwell, a counter-terrorism expert and the co-author of a biography of the general.

David Petraeus, has said that classified reports revealed that the strike on the American diplomatic mission in Libya was a terrorist attack - but that the administration avoided saying that it was a group of Al Qaeda affiliates, reports the New York Times.

Testifying before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees in his first public appearance since his resignation, he expressed regret for his affair.

The Florida woman who triggered the inquiry that took down Petraeus has complained about paparazzi in front of her mansion and "people calling me with threats."

Jill Kelley, whose tip about emails from the retired general's mistress sparked the FBI probe that revealed the affair, complained to Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn via email that she and her family were frightened by the attention they were receiving.

"I'm not sending my daughters to school today, and my husband slept at the hospital, because its just gotten too difficult to even pull out of our own driveway.

"And now, I have to deal with people calling me with threats," Kelley wrote.

"I'm scared and cannot believe what my city - in which I have contributed so much of my love, time, money and leadership - has now done to me and my innocent family," she said.

The actions of General Petraeus are "personal indiscretions" and are unlikely to affect national security, thinks Mark Jacobson, senior advisor for Truman National Security Project.

The CIA has opened an "exploratory" investigation into the conduct of its former director David Petraeus, who resigned last week over an extramarital affair.

General David Petraeus will testify on Friday at a closed-door congressional hearing about the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said in a statement that Petraeus will appear on Friday morning.

A US official has told AP news agency that the US military has suspended Paula Broadwell's security clearance.

President Obama praised the work of former CIA chief General David Petraeus. Speaking to reporters he said the General had served America "with great distinction" and from what he knows at "this point in the investigation", did not act in a way that compromised national security.

"I have no evidence, from this point, from what I have seen, that classified information was disclosed that would have impacted on our national security."

President Obama has said he had seen no evidence that former CIA chief General David Petraeus compromised national security during his affair:

The news conference will begin broadcasting live at 6:30pm UK time.