A Florida woman was named Sunday as the recipient of allegedly harassing emails from former CIA Director David Petraeus' female biographer.

Petraeus, 60, resigned this week after admitting he "showed extremely poor judgment by engaging in an extramarital affair" with his 40-year-old biographer, Paula Broadwell, who is married to a doctor and has two children.

The Los Angeles Times reported Jill Kelley of Tampa, who it described as a State Department liaison to the military's Joint Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla., told the FBI about the emails, which investigators then traced to Broadwell. Officials have said Kelley, who was described as a close friend of Petraeus, was considered by Broadwell to be a rival for the CIA director and retired general's affections, the newspaper said.

The New York Times reported a close friend of the Petraeus family said Kelley, 37, has been a friend of Petraeus and his wife Holly for more than five years.

The family friend described Kelley, who also is married to a doctor, as "a very well-known person of influence in the Tampa community" who is active in organizations that support military causes.

The Kelleys issued a statement Sunday night that did not address their involvement in the government investigation, The New York Times said.

"We respect his and his family's privacy, and want the same for us and our three children," the couple said.

Sources who didn't want to be identified told CNN the FBI opened its investigation into Petraeus after receiving a complaint about Broadwell's allegedly abusive emails.

Petraeus was scheduled to testify Thursday about the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans. Instead, acting CIA Director Michael Morell will speak to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

That didn't sit well with House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y., CNN said.

"David Petraeus' testifying has nothing to do with whether or not he's still the CIA director, and I don't see how the CIA can say he's not going to testify," King said. "He was at the center of this, and he has answers that only he has."

On "Fox News Sunday," Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., backed off her earlier statement that President Obama should not have accepted Petraeus' resignation, the Los Angeles Times said.

"When you realize additional complications ... I think he did the right thing," she said. "I think the president really had no choice but to accept that resignation." (UPI)

<관련 한글 기사>

성추문 휩싸인 前장군, ‘피해여성’ 등장

최근 전격 사임한 데이비드 페트리어스 전(前) 미국 중앙정보국 (CIA) 국장과 불륜관계에 있었던 여성 작가로부터 모욕을 받았다고 주장하는 여성이 등장했다.

외신이 11일 (현지시간) 보도한 바에 따르면, 질 켈리 (37)란 여성은 페트리어스와 전기 작가 폴라 브로드웰 (40)로부터 ‘모욕적인’ 이메일을 받았다고 주장했다고 한다.

전직 4성장군이자 미국 CIA국장인 페트리어스는 브로드웰의 불륜관계가 밝혀지면서 지난 9일 전격 사임했다.

로스엔젤레스 타임즈 보도에 따르면 켈리는 미국 국무부 소속 직원으로서 미국 연방 수사국 (FBI)에게 자신이 받은 이메일에 대해 제보했고, 수사국은 조사 끝에 이 출처가 브로드웰이라는 점을 밝혀냈다고 한다.

당국에 따르면 브로드웰은 페트리어스와 절친한 사이인 켈리를 연적으로 여겼다고 한다.

한편 뉴욕 타임즈는 페트리어스 가의 측근을 인용해 켈리가 페트리어스 부부와 5년 이상 알고 지냈다고 보도했다. 이 측근은 켈리가 플로리다 주 탐파 지역에서는 잘 알려진 영향력 있는 인사이며 군과 관련된 여러 단체에서 활발히 행동하고 있다고 전했다.

켈리와 그녀의 남편은 11일, 성명을 통해 “그 (페트리어스)와 그의 가족의 사생활을 존중하며, 우리와 세 자녀 역시 마찬가지고 존중해줬으면 한다”라고 밝혔다.

한편 CNN은 익명의 소식통을 인용해 이 모욕적인 이메일에 대한 제보를 접수한 이후에 FBI가 페트리어스 전 국장을 수사하기 시작했다고 보도했다.