The Latest Update on CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou

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Catherine J. Frompovich 
Activist Post

In the March 5th letter John Kiriakou sent me, he shared something that made me think more than twice about the inequities of life.

Readers know from past blogs that John had been promised nine (9) months of halfway house in his prison term of 30 months, if he agreed to their demands that he not talk with the press nor complain about the treatment he receives in the federal prison at Loretto, Pennsylvania.

John received indication that the Federal Bureau of Prisons apparently was going back on its word, even though he kept his part of the bargain, so a letter-writing campaign to the Director of Federal Bureau of Prisons in Washington, DC was started. My readers, undoubtedly, wrote as did I. January 30th John wrote that hundreds of letters had come in so far and “I’ve concluded that the worst thing that can happen is six months halfway house.”

However, I perceived a different “tone of outcome” from the letter I received from Mark A. Kirby, the warden, wherein Warden Kirby said, “After considering all relevant factors, the unit team believes pursuant to the Second Chance Act, the recommended placement of 151-180 days is sufficient to provide the greatest likelihood of successful reintegration into the community.”

Apparently, ‘negotiations’ have gone downhill from there.

March 5th John says,

I recently got some bad news. After initially promising me 9 months of halfway house, they “recommending” me for 5-6 months, the BoP has given me 86 days, pushing back my release date to February 3, 2015. A senator and two congressmen have gotten involved and are urging the head of the BoP to reverse his decision. I’m still hopeful.

Eighty-six days is less than three months, or less than a third of what the original ‘deal’ was to get John to stop his Letters from Loretto and giving interviews to the press. Seems like one can’t depend upon anything or anyone when it comes to the feds!

As a result of that 86-day turn of events, John apparently has broken his part of the deal and now is talking. Sunday, March 9th, his Los Angeles Times opinion article, “I got 30 months in prison. Why does Leon Panetta get a pass?”, John talks ‘turkey’ about the inequities of whistleblowing insofar as high ranking government officials like former CIA director Leon Panetta, when they leak information, aren’t held accountable to the same laws as lesser-ranking government employees. Remember, John was a former CIA analyst and case officer with exceptional credentials. “[H]e was awarded 10 Exceptional Performance Awards, a Sustained Superior performance Award, the Counterterrorism Service Medal, and the State Department’s Meritorious Honor Award.” [1]

So, where’s justice? Probably, it’s hiding somewhere within the Oval Office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, since the Obama administration prosecuted John for

“disclosing classified information to journalists, including the name of a covert CIA officer and information revealing the role of another CIA employee in classified activities.” I had revealed no more than others who were never charged, about activities that the CIA had a program to kill or capture Al Qaeda members — that were hardly secret. [2]

Further along in John’s LA Times opinion article, he says

A transcript obtained by the organization Judicial Watch shows that, at a CIA awards ceremony attended by Boal, Panetta did exactly that. The CIA seems to acknowledge that Panetta accidentally revealed the name of the special forces ground commander who led the operation to kill Osama bin Laden, not knowing that the Hollywood screenwriter was part of an audience cleared to hear him speak. But intent is not relevant to Espionage Act enforcement. 

The Espionage Act should be rewritten to deal with the issues of intent, such as accidental disclosures and real harm done. Until then, it is right and just to charge Panetta at least with espionage. Accidental though his revelation may have been, it’s still a crime. [CJF emphasis added] Gen. James “Hoss” Cartwright, once known as the president’s “favorite general,” was reportedly targeted as the source of information about the Stuxnet virus leaked to a New York Times writer. That investigation has dropped from sight, and Cartwright has so far faced no charges. 

If Panetta and Cartwright aren’t accountable while Drake, Kim [other whistleblowers] and I have been crucified for harming U.S. national security — all of us accused of or investigated for the same thing: disclosing classified information to parties not authorized to know it — then what does that say about justice in America or White House hypocrisy? [3]

To which any thinking person automatically would conclude, “Good question, John.”

In the Comments section [2] of the LA Times piece, one person points out that Vice President “Cheney and company outed an undercover CIA operative [Valerie Plame] and got off scot-free.” [4]

However, the comment that really rings bells for me is the one made by Col Morris Davis:

One of the fundamental principles of the “rule of law” is that the law is administered consistently across the board. As John’s piece highlights, while American officials use the phrase “rule of law” regularly, particularly in criticizing other countries, when it comes to actual application here at home they are all hat and no cattle [one who is full of big talk but no action]. There are blatant examples of leaks and lies that would bring the full weight of the government down on the backs of ordinary citizens that the Obama administration chooses to ignore when it is politically expedient for them to turn a blind eye. That is not how the “rule of law” works when we mean what we say rather than making the term just a worthless platitude. It says a lot about America’s claim to be a shining city on a hill when not one single person who sanctioned or conducted torture has faced prosecution, but John Kiriakou is in prison for just talking about it. Impunity for the powerful and imprisonment for the powerless is anything but the “rule of law.” [2] [CJF emphasis added]

I could not have said better.

Notes:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kiriakou
[2] http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-kiriakou-panetta-whistleblower-20140309,0,7028492.story#ixzz2vasJ0dKD
[3] Ibid.
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Plame

Catherine J Frompovich (website) is a retired natural nutritionist who earned advanced degrees in Nutrition and Holistic Health Sciences, Certification in Orthomolecular Theory and Practice plus Paralegal Studies. Her work has been published in national and airline magazines since the early 1980s. Catherine authored numerous books on health issues along with co-authoring papers and monographs with physicians, nurses, and holistic healthcare professionals. She has been a consumer healthcare researcher 35 years and counting.

Two of Catherine’s more recent books on Amazon.com are Our Chemical Lives And The Hijacking Of Our DNA, A Probe Into What’s Probably Making Us Sick (2009) and Lord, How Can I Make It Through Grieving My Loss, An Inspirational Guide Through the Grieving Process (2008).