Ex-CIA Officer John Kiriakou on CIA Torture, Deep State, and Gina Haspel

CIA Torture and Deception

• 💡 President Bush publicly stated "We do not torture," while the CIA was allegedly engaged in such practices.
• 🎯 The speaker, John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer, recounts the capture of Abu Zubaydah and the subsequent interrogation process.
• 🔑 A critical mistake in an interview led Kiriakou to initially believe Abu Zubaydah provided actionable intelligence after being waterboarded once.
• ⚠️ In reality, Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times by Mitchell and Jessen after the FBI interrogation primacy was transferred to the CIA, leading him to cease communication.
• 🔍 Mitchell and Jessen allegedly faked intelligence by retyping FBI cables, claiming Abu Zubaydah provided information after a single waterboarding.
• 📉 The CIA Inspector General confirmed this deception in 2005, the same year evidence, including videotapes of torture sessions, was destroyed.

Gina Haspel and the Deep State

• 📌 Gina Haspel, then head of counterterrorism and later CIA Director, was allegedly present to observe torture sessions.
• 🎭 Kiriakou refers to Haspel as "bloody Gina Haspel" and the definition of the deep state due to her extensive career within the CIA.
• 🧩 The destruction of torture tapes was ordered by White House counsel Harriet Meyers and carried out by Jose Rodriguez and Gina Haspel.
• 💬 Kiriakou offers his expertise on CIA, FBI, DoD, torture, secret prisons, and international renditions, inviting questions from the audience.