Former CIA Operative, Whistleblower & Author; Director of GeoRisk Solutions; Host of "Deep Focus" Podcast

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John Kiriakou Biography

John Kiriakou is a former Central Intelligence Agency officer, whistleblower, journalist, and author with fourteen years of experience in the intelligence community. Kiriakou served as an intelligence analyst and counterterrorism operations officer for the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, receiving multiple Exceptional Performance Awards, the Sustained Superior Performance Award, the Counterterrorism Service Medal, and the State Department's Meritorious Honor Award during his career. Following the September 11 attacks, Kiriakou was appointed chief of counterterrorist operations in Pakistan, where he led the CIA team that captured Abu Zubaydah, then considered al-Qaeda's third-ranking official. When offered training in the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques, Kiriakou declined, citing ethical and legal concerns.

Kiriakou became a significant figure in national security and intelligence whistleblowing when, in an ABC News interview with Brian Ross, he became the first U.S. government official to publicly confirm that the CIA had waterboarded prisoners and that torture was official U.S. government policy. His disclosure sparked a national debate about interrogation practices and government accountability. The government began investigating Kiriakou after his media appearance, and he was eventually charged under the Espionage Act, becoming the sixth whistleblower indicted under that statute by the Obama administration. He pleaded guilty to a single count of violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Kiriakou remains the only CIA officer to serve time in connection with the U.S. torture program, despite not participating in torture himself.

Kiriakou is the author of several books, including "The Reluctant Spy: My Secret Life in the CIA's War on Terror," "Doing Time Like a Spy: How the CIA Taught Me to Survive and Thrive in Prison," and "The Convenient Terrorist: Two Whistleblowers' Stories of Torture, Terror, Secret Wars, and CIA Lies," co-authored with Joseph Hickman. He has also written a series of "CIA Insider's Guides" on topics such as surveillance and lie detection. His "Letters from Loretto" blog series provided insight into life in the federal prison system.

Kiriakou has advocated for transparency, civil liberties, and whistleblower protections. His work has been recognized with honors including the Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage, the PEN Center USA First Amendment Award, the Sam Adams Award for Integrity in Intelligence, and the Blueprint International Whistleblowing Prize for Bravery and Integrity in the Public Interest. He appeared in the documentary "Silenced" and in "Ai Weiwei: Yours Truly." Kiriakou has served as a senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a counterterrorism consultant for ABC News, and an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. He speaks at universities, think tanks, and public forums, and hosts the podcast "Deep Focus with John Kiriakou," addressing issues of national security, government accountability, and democratic governance.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 04/15/2026.

John Kiriakou Videos

John Kiriakou: Inside the CIA and the Cost of Speaking Out

John Kiriakou: Inside the CIA and the Cost of Speaking Out

In this episode of My Price Is My Life, James O’Keefe sits down with former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou, who spent nearly 15 years...

How CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou Went to Prison for Exposing the Post-9/11 Torture Program

How CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou Went to Prison for Exposing the Post-9/11 Torture Program

Taken from JRE #2392 w/John Kiriakou YouTube: https://youtu.be/TZqADzuu73g JRE on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4rOoJ6Egrf8K2IrywzwOMk

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  • What topics does John Kiriakou speak about?

    John Kiriakou is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Author, Journalist, Podcast Host, Security & Defense, Storytelling
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John Kiriakou is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics. The estimated speaking fee range to book John Kiriakou for your event is available upon request. John Kiriakou generally travels from and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Mary Louise Kelly, Shawn Ryan, Clifford May, Kim Zetter and Cliff Sims. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling John Kiriakou for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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