How I became a CIA whistleblower | John Kiriakou | TEDxFoggyBottom

John Kiriakou had a great career as a CIA analyst, until discovering what he considered to be an unethical torture and interrogation program within the organization. How do you hold your employer accountable when they're the highest authority in the country?
John Kiriakou is formerly a CIA officer, senior investigator for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and counterterrorism consultant for ABC News. In 2007, Kiriakou blew the whistle on the CIA’s torture program, telling ABC News that the CIA tortured prisoners, that torture was official U.S. government policy, and that the policy was approved by then-President George W. Bush. He was the sixth whistleblower indicted by the Obama administration, and served 23 months in prison. Now, Kiriakou is a noted columnist, radio talk show host, and celebrated author. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@SHARON.I]

They screwed him. I wish him so much success. I've been a fan of his since the government started "torturing" him. Whistleblowers are our friends not traitors.

[@steliosar4996]

I think CIA made a big mistake of recruiting John. In this kind of services you cannot recruit people with good heart and he is a great human being.

[@elizabethphillips1382]

Amen, so damn true!!!!

[@bigfellaoo7]

Cia is full of assholes.

[@elizabethphillips1382]

@@bigfellaoo7 Not all are bad guys, but the good ones eventually get out.

[@vickyhioniskolaiti]

@@elizabethphillips1382 Je pimped kids and they disappeared...is that what he said ?

[@TH-iv9qf]

@@vickyhioniskolaiti, Do your own research, then please enlighten us.

[@Idalych]

Props to Ted for giving this hero a platform.

[@Raykibb1]

The “Patriot Act” proves an old adage that my Constitutional Law professor taught us, “Bad times equal bad laws.”

[@patroberts9497]

take back our country, elect all new people into congress

[@DennisTeti]

Torture finally made illegal is the same as speeding is illegal. It’s illegal but you know it’s still going to go on.

[@ProductofSeebach]

Rights exist as propaganda to create the illusion of accountability and stagnate revolutionary rhetoric. If a government violates rights on an institutional level, it can either disband or bribe taxpayers with their own money to buy their silence.

[@donwheeler1208]

Dennis Teti right! I ran a red light the other night but I didn’t get caught so therefore I didn’t do anything illegal.

[@Dhumm81]

Except speeders are constantly pursued and frequently fined, imprisoned, or executed on-site. State-sanctioned torturers only at risk if they have loose lips or acquire a conscience.

[@DennisTeti]

@@donwheeler1208 if no one sees it, did it even happen? I think you may even have imagined it yourself.

[@lysafisk7123]

TPB are pretty selective about which laws they enforce & which violators of said laws they'll prosecute.

[@randycoger2525]

To write your congressman is like writing the tooth fairy.

[@kenosabi]

Sht the tooth fairy used to come through pretty regularly. I dont remember the last time anyone in congress did a single thing of use to anyone but themselves and their puppet masters.

[@eileennelson2275]

Few of us have John Kiriakou's integrity when your're responsible for your family and dependent on a job you love.

[@wlupusborealis]

The fact that he 'loved' that job makes me dubious about this man. He was not doing good work, as he seems to think, and he ought to be apologising instead of going on about his great career. He should be ashamed, mourn. He continues to be silent about too many things he did, knows and has seen.

[@user-xf6gw9on4f]

This guy is literally in prison right now (Jan. 18, 2021) because he exposed war crimes & crimes against humanity. How ironic

[@alexfernando4681]

How in God's name is this man still alive? Amazing stuff!

[@likeatree7825]

right?

[@cole5411]

Because we aren't Russia

[@fabiojr8082]

@@cole5411 Gary Webb do not agree with you

[@gangstalking2904]

When we said truth god protect

[@truettadevil]

Yes. He's clearly recruiting youths to join the CIA. Did you not watch the video?

[@baqirhemraj7639]

I admire whistleblowers who are trying to educate the public on what is the truth about the U.S. government and not justify their actions.

[@RobertoGonzalez-ot8hn]

I have the pleasure on meeting Mr. Kiriakou at the Barnes and Nobles bookstore in Lynnwood, WA in 2017. I took a picture with him and he signed my copy of his book The Convenient Terrorist. A decent gentleman.

[@misskai8158]

I'm a huge fan, so amazing you got to meet him!!! I have so much love and respect for his work.

[@999Giustina]

Thank you John!

[@west3642]

Fianlly hes on Ted !

[@HelpfulHarry]

This man is a hero

[@Nicksedz]

this guy is a legend

[@Me-xd7bd]

How can you say that? He's trained to lie and most likely if he is still alive like this, he really isn't a real whistleblower. You know how many crimes this guy committed in his time with CIA? This dude deserves no praise

[@subscribefornoreason7390]

@@Me-xd7bd You are right. Also this could be to distract from real problems.

[@MrToontuber]

If you think you can do as he sugests you are naive. They have within a blink of an eye. Start covering youre smartphone tablet etc. CAMERA. He's probably a honeypot.

[@obeace4495]

Needs way more views....

[@commonsenseamerica1685]

I hope he lives a long happy life.

[@DennisTeti]

Always have loved how he speaks. And he's true to his story. I hope he gets pardoned.

[@IanoNjuguna]

One of the best storytellers you'll ever listen to.

[@SThrillz]

Morality is for citizens not for government.

[@hamptonfillingame5347]

Citizens lower than Gov and Mil 100%%%%

[@alexanderfamily5142]

God bless John Kiriakou.

[@donarnold8268]

Thank you!

[@arabmoney3339]

Definitely a lot happens behind our backs😨

[@wlupusborealis]

This is great, but he's oversimplifying for sake of not going down rabbitholes and getting in trouble all over again. He mentioned 'enhanced interrogation' (separate from waterboarding), which has dozens of components, then drops that like a hot potato. Enhanced interrogation escaped legal scrutiny and definition. It's still going on. It's not just torture, it's _worse_ than torture, and scars for life. I commend Kirikou for his courage, but he didn't go far enough (perhaps because he's human and has a family). U.S. detention camps and military prisons are still open - and they are not treating people humanely in the slightest. The measures still being used are: sleep deprivation, empty and real verbal threats, isolation, sensory deprivation, cold, some forced position torture, disorientation about cause of pain (prisoner is told he is causing his own pain), playing with randomness and time (so that it feels that the torture is infinite and timeless) and with indefinite detention (you are there forever, and this psychologically destroys the prisoner so that most of them stop eating). All these things are worse than a few waterboarding sessions, because the torture never ends, and mentally scars both perpetrators and victims for life. So, in fact, very little has been fixed, and many western states are morally cowardly and retrograde, the consequences of which are destroying the society from within.

[@weareallbornmad410]

Thank you for telling us. Can you give us some additional resources to learn about the whole situation?

[@jossdionne9810]

USA possessed and...Repossessed!

[@DanNguyen-xd6wg]

You should search KZbin for videos of him being interviewed by VICE where he talked about some of those interrogation techniques you are talking about. It’s definitely an eye opening for me.

[@CrookDanny]

Read his book!

[@robertvanpiggelen4625]

@ 8.30 "Torture is illegal in this country" So now the SAME people torture in International waters or somewhere outside the US. Problem solved. Business as usual.

[@weareallbornmad410]

That's probably true. However, are there any sources that you can point me to? Or are we just speculating?

[@claytonzielinski1]

Thats why the cia has toture planes

[@Conbom3]

@@weareallbornmad410 have you ever seen the images of “torture flights”, this is why it is said that no torture has occurred on us “soil”

[@mohammadmujtaba9207]

Thank you John Long live humanity Long live America Long live India

[@SimplyLimbo]

The moment he said" the FBI couldnt find anything, i didnt commit a crime", i thought: yeah, but your fellow C.I.A agents will not be so forgiving...you called them out as torturerers, he was the only one of 14 who said no. The program went on, and he blows the whistle, afcourse they gonna see him as a traitor in their eyes. Though he has the ethical element of it on his side, and by making this known, he created an invisible barrier for the U.S. to slide even further down, because what did we used to say again in the western world ? We would never resort to torture ever again ? Well we did, and we promosed we would never sink so low again. Nonetheless they (the admin) signed it. In other words we did a step back as humanity

[@erasmoc.9514]

great talk

[@mkc2lee]

Thank you John for exposing CIA's war crimes....

[@susangreer8070]

I love your heroic stance on life

[@susangreer8070]

We Sould give them a hippy stance

[@johntaylor9320]

This guy should know Kevin Shipp.

[@512Berlinetta]

Respect to John Kiriakou.

[@abdelrhmandameen2215]

Some people really watch this and actually believe that torture isn't practiced now in the US.

[@daniellartey7898]

The effect of a reaction to an acceptance is greatly related to ones 'position' in the 'concerned' issue.

[@crescenciolopez2796]

Great speaker!

[@jacyl21222]

"Torture is finally illegal in this country...". Naive. Torture continues.

[@macdermesser]

And truth is not told. Nearly all we see and hear is deception or distraction.

[@jacyl21222]

@@macdermesser "Beware lest you be deceived". This is the age of deception

[@lokisingularity3394]

More than you know. Look into targeted individuals.

[@boldlysettingcaptivesfree7539]

Joseph, I know torture is legal in the U.S.A. - Abortion is legal!

[@Rob0917]

Not only torture, but also "suicides"...

[@orlanz]

A true courageous man you are . We don't confirm to the societies norm but we stand for morals and trutg. We're not rebel by choice. We're the light bringer

[@lokisingularity3394]

Covert torture is being perpetrated today. Look into targeted individuals and electronic torture and harrassment.

[@stephanielove4469]

Question is why

[@Ben-db5re]

@@stephanielove4469 control

[@TampaDave]

A laugh in the last seconds, as they show something SO FEARSOME! Yet, it is the only thing to fear.

[@philipzaccheus8398]

RIGHT IS MIGHTY MIGHT without REMORSE.

[@ptee9507]

Counter terrorism is where the CIA fights against itself basically and the groups they have previously armed trained and used till they were done with them.

[@judddavis3548]

Hello Afghanistan

[@KAZIISLAM1]

You our national Hero. Who was the director of FBI that time name the criminal agent.

[@marshalllapenta7656]

He probably is the nicest 1 to come out of the CIA! I've been using the same line against these people You have to cooperate with me!

[@ENLartstudio]

He still alive? WOW

[@joeschmidt4858]

The first thing a company man learns is how to lie convincingly if you think for a moment torture has gone away because of a legality issue your sadly mistaken, while it does not always garner actionable intelligence it does wonders for destroying morale of the enemy regardless of who is doing the torturing

[@boldlysettingcaptivesfree7539]

*Joe, I know torture is legal in the U.S.A. - Abortion is legal!*

[@gold9994]

What can we do? Nothing.

[@bonnieitzaina8197]

Not only targeted, but tortured 24/7 now and sick with myeloma kappa light chain plasma cancer. HELP

[@werwars1190]

If the future offers us a new chances to prove our humanity we should seriously overthink our own ability to accept when we have to admid that there are times to loose. so there shall be times to win again. The treatment you had to accept innocently must have been the challange of your live. I want to give you all my best wishes to have a future which offers opportunities which suits your ideals you were standing for.

[@TehNarrator]

Lately Kiriakou has been doing damage control for Assad and Putin on Sputnik

[@timeflys3248]

It would of be nice if you explained the torture methods. You only mentioned water boarding.

[@user-wr3sw5mj1k]

Dear Mr. Kiriakos, in order to solve the "mystery" of 17 November Organisation please search in your former company.

[@ECWnWWF]

here is the backstory, he now is the co-host of a radio show with Lee Stranahan on radio Sputnik

[@ThunderRoad8888]

I watched his Ted Talk and was impressed, but a quick google search shows him to be working for Russian propaganda now. Not good...

[@tmass1]

I'm here from JRE. is this the guy???

[@Odin33356]

The good guys get out . It's been that for every industry or trade .

[@rebeccamunoz1645]

John you are a hero...in morals and everything else

[@craigbillington4540]

Wat a guy!

[@Mrclean431]

1 outta 14 said no. Maybe you were the wrong one then ?

[@chinahongkong160]

Loud n clear show, radio, Russian sputnik Great

[@alisammak9081]

Is he from Sydney, Australia jhon if you are I've been to school with some your relative

[@1joman]

serious and well composed man, interesting story full of holes though, so many blind spots it is difficult to say where truth stops and politics begin

[@anitaclark672]

Torture continues

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

US has gone down a dark road.

[@nisansalabandara7569]

👏🏼👏🏿👏🏾👏🏽

[@thesumeriangod5421]

“I will not speak to you in god language’ respect.

[@haSHAH1]

love and respect from Pakistan

[@alisammak9081]

I went to school with a guy with the same name in marrickville frontcourt. He looks like him he was card of his own shadow I hope it's not him but his Greek cushion was a good soccer player so maybe he moved to Newcastle never know

[@gianmariamalmesi4133]

I'd still like to know why you guys brought down Salvador Allende and helped Pinochet

[@thr0ne1997]

For a channel with 25M subscribers... how does this have only 50k views? Interesting...

[@davidbasset7557]

join the CIA? 😂😂😂 they locked you up and tried to kill you wtf

[@thomasjones7115]

The rationale for allowing Waterboarding according to the CIA in 2002 was : 9/11 was a terrorist aggression on U.S. soil that called for extreme measures ( i.e. waterboarding ) in order to gather the necessary intelligence to fight the war on terrorism more effectively thus preventing future terrorist attacks and loss of life .

[@arulaful]

did you say 'vote'..?

[@davidjohnston144]

Sony like flying or overseas I just not trust

[@davidjohnston3954]

Some how get weapon off there shoe, arm but that's there work practices it's not my idea of weapon I only own one gun that's it thank u

[@madrizza]

9:35 is the solution!!!!

[@curtisleeyork1978]

its shameful that a video with some kid smashing a toy figure will get 7million views but this HARD CORE thruth about what is happening here only gets `15k views. Raise your kids better. Your raising a bunch of zombies that totally ignore the worlds problems and watch cat vidoes all day.

[@bigfellaoo7]

I watch both.

[@lucidicrain]

When did Comedy Central start hosting ted talks?

[@madrizza]

9:35 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@pascaltran4398]

Le vote, l'entrisme : sûrement un excellent officier traitant, mais un "croyant démocratique" risible. Son parcours contredit ses propos

[@melaniecruz4750]

Alberta's!!! Xxxxxxxxxxx guessed ahhhhhh look a like exactly .

[@corlfranco9371]

i will not speak to you in god's language: you are the enemy

[@anthonysteen56]

It’s a matter of values…ends or means…the CIA likes ends first people

[@KonradStachnio]

👌

[@davidjohnston144]

Why they do it to us. Why we can't do the same thing, think it's only right to torture them it's not right, it's mainly war anything everything is allowed in sorry it's not right are men died like that overseas

[@justuslehto4137]

this guy deserves respect! should george bush be put in jail for lying? 😀 yes it gets hot when you watch these videos!

[@Doodlefisher]

I like the way he thinks! Join the CIA and change it from the inside! If I could do that I know I would for sure!

[@dianedavidson7977]

All you had to do was ask Israel and the US government what happened 9/11.

[@allpal3077]

Wait you are cia and can not tell 3 teams are on your tail? Were you not through the training at the farm?

[@Jordan-uz9me]

Always end with a gag, John. "Join the CIA and change it" Also, why don't you walk up to Mike Tyson and tell him he talks funny?

[@SterninSeth]

Join the cia. That’s the answer? Close down the cia is the answer.

[@stolasgoetia93]

Exactly! The real rulers who run the CIA will never allow it to be changed for the better.

[@elizabethcsicsery-ronay1633]

Good man! At least he got only 30 months, instead of35 years hanging over the head of Assange and Snowden.Snowden was also afraid they would off him.

[@melaniecruz4750]

Asian girl! ??? Together ! Imposter syndrome sound familiar. 2019 2021

[@davidjohnston3954]

There always are armed really don't believe C I a. There armed always

[@AngelTacha87]

"Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" lol the resourceful use of words to mean "Torture"...and this is done all the time to confuse masses. You hear the words but you have no idea what they mean.

[@doomsick8171]

Trader

[@teabag3620]

His funny

[@Cognitiveleaper]

Newsflash------------- A Psychopath doesn't develop a conscience.

[@michaelthompson7081]

What do you mean?

[@jonathanjollimore4794]

Whistleblowers are good people working as propaganda tools not so much

[@melaniecruz4750]

SomeOne in Calgary ! With--- asian girl ! Look a like little bit younger * John kuriousku

[@Shah-iu1bx]

I am in Calgary lol

[@ramona.spedale7065]

Deuteronomy 5:1-6. I Am the Lord your God Who Brought you out of the land of Egypt. Out of the House of Bondage. YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.

[@JESEE818]

✌🏼👁

[@treefrog123a]

Ha ha ha this is the third bonified different story ive heard from authoeities😅