Inside the CIA
His work included intelligence analysis and counterterrorism operations. Government Accountability Project describes his role in the 2002 operation to capture Abu Zubaydah in Pakistan. [2]
UNOFFICIAL DIVISION OF THE UNEXPLAINED
Some things
aren’t meant
to stay classified.
Strange skies. Loud records. Quiet deals.
A personal hideout for the beautifully suspicious.
CLEARANCE: CURIOUS / EST. 2112
SECTOR 07 / DEEP SPACE SURVEILLANCE
UNKNOWN OBJECT
AZ 211° · SIGNAL ACTIVE
◉ ANOMALY DETECTEDDO NOT LOOK AWAY.
EYES ONLY01 / EXTRATERRESTRIAL✳02 / PROGRESSIVE ROCK✳03 / THE UNDERWORLD✳04 / INTELLIGENCE
THE EVIDENCE ROOM
Pick a rabbit hole.
FULL CASE FILES
Open a file.
001 DEEP SPACEUFO case filesRoswell, the Tic Tac, the Phoenix Lights and more.ENTER ↗
002 THE BOARDConspiracy boardWhich theories turned out true, and which fell apart.ENTER ↗
003 HIGH VOLUMEThe Rush vaultAll 19 studio albums, era by era.ENTER ↗
004 TOP SECRETThe agency deskSpies, moles, rescues and whistleblowers.ENTER ↗
005 DARKROOMPhoto libraryEvery picture in one place, sorted into albums.ENTER ↗
006 EYES ONLYSealed messagesJust for you. Break a seal.ENTER ↗
RUSHFAN FREQUENCY2112
TRANSMISSION 02 / THE SOUNDTRACK
A different kind
of intelligence.
Set the mood for a late-night investigation. Pick a Rush track, then open the transmission on YouTube.
OPEN 2112 ON YOUTUBE ↗FAN CURATED · MUSIC OPENS EXTERNALLY
YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT
Expect the
unexpected.
One classified prompt. Four strange worlds.
Request a mission and see where the night goes.
> establishing imagination link…
> clearance accepted
> awaiting operator
Welcome, Agent.
Your next assignment is one click away. ▌
Your next assignment is one click away. ▌
FICTIONAL MISSIONS ONLY / NO REAL OPERATIONS
PERSONAL COLLECTION / LOCAL STORAGE
Photo & file vault.
Keep favorite photos, videos, music and documents together.
Saved only in this browser on this device. Files are not shared with other visitors or synced across devices. Clearing site data or using private browsing can remove them. Keep original copies of anything important.
Drop files into the vault
Photos, videos, audio, PDFs and other files · up to 50 MB each
THE REAL-WORLD FILE / PUBLIC RECORD
John Chris
Kiriakou.
A career in context
The waterboarding interview
In an ABC News interview, he publicly confirmed CIA waterboarding. His initial account also defended its effectiveness; he later became a critic of torture. He had not witnessed the waterboarding, and his claim about its quick success proved inaccurate. [3]
The plea and sentence
On October 23, 2012, he pleaded guilty to identifying a covert officer to a journalist. On January 25, 2013, he received a 30-month prison sentence. The conviction was under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act; the other charges, including Espionage Act charges, were dropped. [1] [2]
Why his case remains debated
Kiriakou and Government Accountability Project view his prosecution as retaliation for exposing torture. The Justice Department describes the case as punishment for disclosing a covert officer’s identity. His whistleblowing and the specific offense of conviction are related parts of his story, but are not the same legal claim. [1] [2]
On the reading desk
AUTHOR’S BOOK LIST ↗The Reluctant Spy
His account of his CIA career, co-written with Michael Ruby.
Doing Time Like a Spy
His perspective on prison life and the lessons he carried from intelligence work.
The Convenient Terrorist
Co-written with Joseph Hickman, examining the capture and treatment of Abu Zubaydah.
BOOK DESCRIPTIONS SUMMARIZE THE AUTHOR’S CATALOG. [6]
HEAR HIM IN HIS OWN WORDS
Interviews, talks & long conversations.
Explore the video collection on his website, or search for his TEDx talk, “How I Became a CIA Whistleblower.” Interviews present the speaker’s account and opinions.
Open the source folder · 7 references
- U.S. Department of Justice — sentencing announcement, January 25, 2013 ↗Official prosecution account and plea details.
- Government Accountability Project — biography ↗Whistleblower advocacy organization that supported his case.
- The New Yorker — “The Spy Who Said Too Much,” 2013 ↗Reported background and scrutiny of the 2007 interview.
- Government Accountability Project — release to home confinement, 2015 ↗
- John Kiriakou — official website ↗His own account, projects and advocacy interests.
- John Kiriakou — books ↗
- John Kiriakou — videos and interviews ↗
RESEARCHED OCTOBER 19, 2026 · FACTUAL EDITORIAL CONTENT.