Joe Rogan Experience #2392 - John Kiriakou - Podcast Recap

This podcast recap is from a Joe Rogan interview with former CIA officer John Kiriakou, where he discusses his contentious career and subsequent legal troubles. Kiriakou recounts his time in the CIA, including working in Athens amidst dangerous terrorist groups and his role in counterterrorism operations following 9/11 in Pakistan. The conversation heavily focuses on the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques," which Kiriakou labels as torture, detailing their ineffectiveness and brutality, and contrasting them with successful FBI interrogation methods. Kiriakou also describes his own whistleblowing actions regarding the torture program, leading to charges of espionage under the Obama administration and his eventual prison sentence, which he attributes to a political vendetta by John Brennan and a perceived "deep state." Finally, he discusses his life after prison, ongoing efforts for a presidential pardon, and his views on various contemporary geopolitical issues, including Russian, Chinese, and Israeli political influence.