FORMER CIA boss David Petraeus' mistress Paula Broadwell told another woman to "stay away from my guy" after believing he had found a new lover.
The New York Post reports excerpts from the emails that the woman passed on to the FBI with sources telling the newspaper that "Mrs Broadwell clearly thought something was going on" and thought she was in a "lovers triangle." She told the woman "I know what you did" and warned her to "back off."
The woman she threatened was not Mr Petraeus' wife, Holly.
The Washington Post reports that the woman was so scared she called the FBI who were concerned that the CIA director’s personal e-mail account had been hacked and that national security had been threatened.
But after interviews with Mr Petraeus and Mrs Broadwell it was discovered that Mr Petraeus, one of America's most decorated soldiers and its spy boss was secretly having an affair with the pretty biographer and married mum of two.
This July 13, 2011 photo shows then ISAF Commander Gen. David Petraeus with his biographer Paula Broadwell in Afghanistan. Picture: AFP
In an email from Mr Petraeus to a longtime friend and obtained by theWashinton Post, he expressed regret for letting down his family and the nation.
“He was deeply sorry for the pain he has caused his family,” the friend said. “He also noted how much he loved his job at the agency. He said he really relished the intellectual challenge there.”
The love tryst, which began in the battlefields of Afghanistan, was only uncovered after the FBI launched an investigation into Mrs Broadwell for allegedly hacking into the general's email as part of an abusive attack on another woman who has not yet been identified.
While in his account, the FBI discovered sexually explicit emails between Mr Petraeus and Mrs Broadwell - reportedly including one which made references to engaging in sex under a desk.
Other reports suggest Mrs Broadwell split from Mr Petraeus in 2011, and that the general continued to pursue her with hundreds of emails during the past year.
The FBI brought the matter up with Mr Petraeus directly after being alerted that Mrs Broadwell may have had access to his personal email account. The emails involved in the matter were in most instances sent from the personal account, not his CIA one.
David Petraeus has resigned after admitting to an affair with Paula Broadwell, author of the CIA chief's biography All In. Picture: AP
CIA officers long had expressed concern about Mrs Broadwell's unprecedented access to the director. She frequently visited the spy agency's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to meet Mr Petraeus in his office, accompanied him on his punishing morning runs around the CIA grounds and often attended public functions as his guest, according to two former intelligence officials.
As the general was married and had the nations' highest security clearance, the affair was deemed a national security risk and investigated further as it potentially exposed the CIA head to blackmail.
Mr Petraeus has quit in disgrace, with his departure stunning political, military and intelligence establishments.
Mrs Broadwell, who describes herself as a national security analyst, is co-author of the best-selling biography All In: The Education Of General David Petraeus.
The retired four-star general was a leading commander in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars following 9/11. He was credited with the counter-offensive surge strategy that tamed the Iraq insurgency.
Known as a straight shooter, he was highly regarded on both sides of the political aisle. Republicans touted him as a potential presidential candidate, while President Barack Obama made him part of his cabinet.
General David Petraeus has admitted to an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell. Picture: Supplied
Mr Petraeus stepped down after he confessed to cheating on his wife of 37 years, Holly - behaviour he explained was "unacceptable" for a senior administration official.
Members of Congress said they want answers to questions about the affair that led to Mr Petraeuss resignation.
"He is truly remorseful about everything that's happened,'' said Steve Boylan, a retired army officer and former Petraeus spokesman who spoke with the former general yesterday. In a phone call with Mr Boylan, Mr Petraeus lamented the damage he'd done to his "wonderful family'' and the hurt he'd caused his wife.
"He screwed up, he knows he screwed up, now he's got to try to get past this with his family and heal,'' said Mr Boylan.
The retired general told his staffers in a statement that he was guilty of "extremely poor judgment'' in engaging in the affair. "Such behavior is unacceptable, both as a husband and as the leader of an organization such as ours.'' He said he had offered his resignation to Obama.
The president will likely have to replace not only departing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but also Defence Secretary Leon Panetta and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.
In this 2004 file photo, Major General David Petraeus, center, kisses his wife, Holly, second left, as his son, Stephen, left, and daughter, Anne, right, look on upon his return home from Iraq. Picture: Christopher Berkey
One name being floated as a possible Petraeus replacement is John Brennan, the White House counter-terrorism adviser and a CIA veteran who has played an instrumental role in Obama's drone war against al-Qaeda militants.
The most celebrated military officer of his generation, Petraeus took over at the CIA a little more than a year ago.
Mrs Broadwell has not responded to multiple emails and phone messages. Mrs Broadwell planned to celebrate her 40th birthday party in Washington this weekend, with many reporters invited. But her husband emailed guests to cancel the event late Friday.
Mrs Broadwell, who lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her radiologist husband Dr Scott Broadwell and their two young sons Lucien and Lando, was embedded with Mr Petraeus in Afghanistan, and said the two would go on 8km jogs together.
In the biography, Mrs Broadwell, who served in the military for more than a decade, revealed she first met Mr Petraeus during his visit to Harvard in 2006 when he was a commander at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.
"I was among the students invited by the school to meet with the general at a dinner afterward, because of my military background," she said.
Facebook photo of Paula Broadwell with her husband Scott.
"I introduced myself to then Lieutenant General Petraeus and told him about my research interests; he gave me his card and offered to put me in touch with other researchers and service members working on the same issues."
Mrs Broadwell said this was not a one-off as he often "does a lot of mentoring".
As she pursued her PhD in public policy in 2008, she contacted him to ask if she could interview him and they kept in touch via email.
"A few months into my research, General Petraeus, who was then leading Central Command, invited me to go for a run with him and his team along the Potomac River during one of his visits to Washington," she wrote.
"I figured I could interview him while we ran."
The keen runner said she wanted to test him to see if he could keep up with her as she interviewed him.
"Instead it became a test for me,' she said.
"As we talked during the run from the Pentagon to the Washington Monument and back, Petraeus progressively increased the pace until the talk turned to heavy breathing and we reached a six-minute-per-mile pace. It was a signature Petraeus move."
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