![]() ![]() He did not take questions from reporters but thanked supporters, including those who have signed a letter to the White House asking that his sentence be commuted. ![]() Kiriakou emerged from court on Friday, saying he was "positive, confident and optimistic." Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said Kiriakou had endangered the life of a covert officer and "exposed our nation's vital secrets." Kiriakou served as a CIA intelligence officer from 1990 to 2004. Schneider said Kiriakou also discussed the identities of other CIA employees, despite signing multiple non-disclosure agreements which he was bound to honor even after he left the CIA. The charges arose out of communications Kiriakou had with two journalists between 20. But those charges were dropped as part of his plea deal. He also admitted to other allegations, including illegally telling reporters the name of a different CIA employee involved in a 2002 operation to capture alleged al Qaeda terrorist Abu Zubaydah, and lying to a review board about a book he was writing. Kiriakou pleaded guilty in October only to intentionally identifying an undercover CIA officer. "The defendant acted out of a sense of ego and narrow-minded self-interest to raise his media profile," Schneider told the court. The lawyer said his client spoke to reporters in an effort to keep the spotlight on the topic.įederal prosecutor Mark Schneider had a different view. Kiriakou had initially defended those practices, but Trout said his views "had evolved." "He was concerned about certain practices that were employed in the fight against terrorism," said Trout, referring to enhanced interrogation techniques such as water-boarding. Trout described Kiriakou as "really thoughtless and really naïve" in not realizing that he would lose control of the information once he divulged it. Ex-CIA officer in the news beforeĭefense attorney Robert Trout said during the sentencing hearing that Kiriakou did not intend to harm anyone or his country. It's about a person who betrayed a very solemn trust," Brinkema said. "This case is not a case about a whistle-blower. The judge was bound by the plea agreement, but said she would have handed down a tougher sentence had Kiriakou been convicted at trial. She rejected defense attempts to characterize Kiriakou as a whistle-blower. "Alright, perhaps you've already said too much," Brinkema said. Kiriakou, 48, declined to make a statement at the Alexandria, Virginia, federal court prior to sentencing by U.S. John Kiriakou and prosecutors agreed on the term as part of the plea agreement he struck in October. A former CIA officer who pleaded guilty to identifying a covert intelligence officer was sentenced on Friday to 30 months in prison. ![]()
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