Several weeks prior, one morning, John Kiriakou received a phone call from his 16-year-old niece. “Uncle John, you’re becoming sensationally popular on TikTok,” he recollects her informing him.
Kiriakou, a 61-year-old former CIA operative who was incarcerated in 2013 for revealing confidential data concerning the agency’s Middle East interrogation program, was unaware of her subject matter. He possesses no TikTok profile; rather, he primarily observes on Facebook. Nevertheless, excerpts from an audio broadcast Kiriakou recorded in January with Steven Bartlett, who presides over the Diary of a CEO program (boasting over 15 million followers on YouTube), achieved widespread popularity without his involvement.
Approaching two decades, Kiriakou has been striving for executive forgiveness. From 1990 to 2004, Kiriakou functioned as a CIA analyst and an anti-terrorism agent, spearheading a 2002 mission to apprehend Abu Zubaydah, who managed a training facility for al Qaeda fighters. While he was held captive, the CIA waterboarded Zubaydah. Kiriakou later addressed the agency’s coercive methods in a 2007 interview with ABC News, where he subsequently worked as an expert on terrorism. Half a decade subsequent, the Justice Department indicted Kiriakou, who then admitted culpability for revealing the identity of a clandestine agent who took part in CIA questioning sessions to journalists.
Although Kiriakou concluded his incarceration in 2015, he desires executive clemency to vindicate his reputation and recover years of retirement fund contributions. “I had 20 years of distinguished government employment. My retirement fund amounted to $700,000,” states Kiriakou. “Without that pension, I will be compelled to labor until my demise. Their appropriation of it was unjust, and I demand its return. Only through a pardon can I reclaim it.”
Over the past few years, he’s submitted petitions via established procedures and attempted to traverse President Donald Trump’s unofficial and costly mercy system. To date, his appeals remain unaddressed. Now, he’s pursuing an alternative approach, featuring on several of the identical audio broadcasts Trump participated in during the entire 2024 electoral period. Segments of his conversations with Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan, among others, continuously circulate—and the online community is embracing it enthusiastically.
When Kiriakou joined Bartlett for the January audio broadcast, they engaged in a grave discussion exploring his tenure with the CIA, his disclosure of wrongdoing, and eventually, his almost two-year incarceration. Yet, it is the narratives Kiriakou recounts across the installment—about collecting information in nations like Pakistan or elucidating the CIA’s MKUltra initiative—that have garnered millions of spectators in “mind-numbing” type modifications on digital stages such as TikTok and Instagram Reels.
“See you in two scrolls,” a single observer penned on a segment featuring Kiriakou, jesting about the commonness of his video appearances on their personalized feed.
A user known by the username @_bamboclat is acknowledged by Know Your Meme for making widespread these modifications of Kiriakou recounting incredible narratives about his period overseas. These segments have garnered approximately 50 million impressions on the account.
“I first discovered him via audio broadcasts on TikTok. I think the cause for his universal admiration is because he is an adept narrator,” states @_bamboclat, who chose not to reveal his complete identity. “He has been narrating this for two decades. Modifying the pace of his delivery, his popularized digital persona, is quite favored by Generation Z and the TikTok viewership.”
His widespread appeal has transformed Kiriakou into a societal marvel. Subsequent to his recently acquired fame, the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) contracted him. Cameo—the service enabling individuals to solicit custom video messages from beloved public figures—engaged Kiriakou last month. To date, he has produced over 700 video greetings for admirers, priced at approximately $150 each. In one Cameo video, Kiriakou is requested to endorse a female’s nail parlor. This segment serves as a promotional piece for the enterprise on TikTok.
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