Famed whistleblower John Kiriakou, the former chief of counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan, returns to the show to discuss his latest book on Abu Zubaydah “The Convenient Terrorist” which he co-authored with Guantanamo whistleblower Joseph Hickman. Kiriakou retells his history at the CIA and explains why the crux of the Abu Zubaydah saga were Zubaydah’s lies about supposed ties between al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein, which helped the U.S. spin the lies that led to the Iraq War. Kiriakou explains the American fetish with torture and his role in blowing the whistle on the torture network within the CIA and explains how the United States made the decision to invade Iraq long before the invasion. Finally Kiriakou discusses how the drone program is the greatest recruitment tool for Islamic terrorists.

John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer and author of Doing Time Like A Spy: How the CIA Taught Me to Survive and Thrive in Prison. Kiriakou was the only CIA officer to be jailed over the CIA’s torture regime—for telling the truth. Follow him on Twitter @JohnKiriakou.

Discussed on the show:

• Abu Zubaydah
• Joseph Hickman
• Scott Horton (attorney)
• “Abu Zubaydah and the Futility of Torture” (Future Freedom Foundation)
• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
• “Qaeda-Iraq Link U.S. Cited Is Tied to Coercion Claim” (New York Times)
• Richard Perle
• Enhanced interrogation techniques
• “Donald Trump on waterboarding: ‘Even if it doesn’t work they deserve it'” (The Guardian)
• “The road to torture: How the CIA’s ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ became legal after 9/11,” by Joseph Hickman and John Kiriakou (Salon.com)
• Kiriakou to NBC News: “I think somebody would admit to kidnapping the Lindbergh baby under water-boarding.” (Hardball with Chris Matthews)
• Ramzi bin al-Shibh
• “Israeli settlers raid two Palestinian villages, destroying 70 olive trees” (Mondoweiss.com)
• Donald Rumsfeld
• “Yes, We Did Execute Japanese Soldiers for Waterboarding American POWs” (Mother Jones)
• “Waterboarding Historically Controversial” (Washington Post)
• The Reluctant Spy: My Secret Life in the CIA’s War on Terror, by John Kiriakou
• “Perle Five Days After 9/11: ‘We Do Know Saddam Hussein Has Ties To Osama Bin Laden’” (ThinkProgress)
• Houthi insurgency in Yemen
• “A horrifying look into the mind of 9/11’s mastermind, in his own words” by Marc Thiesen (Washington Post)
• “Timeline: Messages from Bin Laden” (al Jazeera)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download