WASHINGTON — David Petraeus was sneaked into the Capitol, away from photographers and television cameras, on Friday for the disgraced former CIA director's first, closed-door congressional testimony since resigning over an extramarital affair.

Petraeus, the retired four-star Army general and formerly one of the most respected U.S. military leaders, was whisked into a House Intelligence Committee hearing in a manner more suited to covert operative — through a network of underground hallways leading to a secure room.

His entrance was hidden from the dozens of cameras by Capitol Hill police barring doorways and back staircases. During previous appearances before Congress, CIA directors typically have walked through the building's front door.