AI Summary
5 min readJohn Kiriakou spent 15 years as a CIA officer, including a stint as chief of counterterrorism operations in Pakistan after 9/11. He later became the first CIA officer to publicly confirm the agency's torture program, a decision that led to a two-year prison sentence on espionage-related charges. In this conversation with Theo Von, Kiriakou walks through his career from recruitment to the aftermath of 9/11, the mechanics of interrogation, the rise of the surveillance state, and the political influence of foreign lobbies. The discussion is less a linear biography than a series of deep dives into how the CIA changed after 2001, what the torture program actually looked like, and why he believes the U.S. has lost its way.
The CIA before and after 9/11
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:53) **Pardon Application & Tulsi Gabbard** - John Kiriakou discusses his presidential pardon application and shares his perspective on Tulsi Gabbard's treatment by the Democratic Party.
- 2 (11:23) **Joining the CIA: The Professor Who Was a Spy** - Kiriakou describes how his professor, a CIA officer undercover, recruited him after he wrote a psychological profile of his boss.
- 3 (20:05) **The Pinnacle of Service: Walking into CIA Headquarters** - Kiriakou recalls the pride of walking into CIA headquarters and his early career as an analyst.
- 4 (24:57) **The Oval Office at 25** - Kiriakou recounts being called to the White House the morning Iraq invaded Kuwait and briefing the president.
- 5 (25:22) **How 9/11 Changed the CIA Forever** - Kiriakou explains how 9/11 permanently altered the CIA, ending the post-Church Committee restrictions.
- 6 (30:33) **The July 6th Warning and 9/11** - Kiriakou recounts the specific warning from Cofer Black on July 6, 2001, about an imminent massive Al-Qaeda attack.
- 7 (39:58) **Post-9/11 Operations in Pakistan and the Saudi Connection** - Kiriakou describes his role as chief of counterterrorism operations in Pakistan and the evidence of Saudi involvement.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
John Kiriakou is a former CIA counter-terrorism officer, author and speaker. His new book “The Ultimate Guide to CIA Skills, Tactics and Techniques” is available August 4th.
John joins Theo to talk about how he was recruited into the CIA, his decision to speak up about the agency’s torture programs, and why there are more spies in America than we might think.
John Kiriakou: https://x.com/JohnKiriakou
The Ultimate Guide to CIA Skills, Tactics and Techniques: https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Guide-Skills-Tactics-Techniques
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Music: “Shine” by Bishop Gunn More from this podcast