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In the handwritten note--published by FiredogLake Tuesday--Kiriakou declares his admiration for Snowden's leaking of documents detailing NSA spying programs.
"Thank you for your revelations of government wrong-doing over the past week. You have done the country a great public service," Kiriakou writes.
From one whistleblower to another, Kiriakou shares his own lessons in best practices when facing severe crackdown, which in Snowden's case has led to an international manhunt. Kiriakou explains, "I wanted to offer you the benefit of my own whistleblowing experience and aftermath so that you don't make the same mistakes that I made."
His 'most important' advice? Never, ever cooperate with the FBI. Kiriakou--who is a former FBI employee--instructs Snowden:
DO NOT, under any circumstances, cooperate with the FBI. FBI agents will lie, trick, and deceive you. They will twist your words and play on your patriotism to entrap you. They will pretend to be people they are not - supporters, well-wishers, and friends - all the while wearing wires to record your out-of-context statements to use against you. The FBI is the enemy; it's a part of the problem, not the solution.
He also urges Snowden to find good legal representation and build infrastructure for international support campaigns, including a website. Furthermore, Kiriakou suggests that Snowden seek the support of 'prominent' groups and individuals, including supporters in Congress, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Government Accountability Project.
Kiriakou, who worked for the CIA from 1990-2004, stepped forward in 2007 as the first CIA employee to acknowledge agency-wide practices of using torture, including waterboarding and other brutal tactics. He was sentenced for allegedly leaking the name of a CIA employee to a reporter, but Kiriakou and his supporters say he was really punished for blowing the whistle.
"In truth, [my prison sentence] is my punishment for blowing the whistle on the CIA's illegal torture program and for telling the public that torture was official U.S. government policy," he wrote in a previous letter from prison. "But that's a different story."
_____________________
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
In the handwritten note--published by FiredogLake Tuesday--Kiriakou declares his admiration for Snowden's leaking of documents detailing NSA spying programs.
"Thank you for your revelations of government wrong-doing over the past week. You have done the country a great public service," Kiriakou writes.
From one whistleblower to another, Kiriakou shares his own lessons in best practices when facing severe crackdown, which in Snowden's case has led to an international manhunt. Kiriakou explains, "I wanted to offer you the benefit of my own whistleblowing experience and aftermath so that you don't make the same mistakes that I made."
His 'most important' advice? Never, ever cooperate with the FBI. Kiriakou--who is a former FBI employee--instructs Snowden:
DO NOT, under any circumstances, cooperate with the FBI. FBI agents will lie, trick, and deceive you. They will twist your words and play on your patriotism to entrap you. They will pretend to be people they are not - supporters, well-wishers, and friends - all the while wearing wires to record your out-of-context statements to use against you. The FBI is the enemy; it's a part of the problem, not the solution.
He also urges Snowden to find good legal representation and build infrastructure for international support campaigns, including a website. Furthermore, Kiriakou suggests that Snowden seek the support of 'prominent' groups and individuals, including supporters in Congress, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Government Accountability Project.
Kiriakou, who worked for the CIA from 1990-2004, stepped forward in 2007 as the first CIA employee to acknowledge agency-wide practices of using torture, including waterboarding and other brutal tactics. He was sentenced for allegedly leaking the name of a CIA employee to a reporter, but Kiriakou and his supporters say he was really punished for blowing the whistle.
"In truth, [my prison sentence] is my punishment for blowing the whistle on the CIA's illegal torture program and for telling the public that torture was official U.S. government policy," he wrote in a previous letter from prison. "But that's a different story."
_____________________
In the handwritten note--published by FiredogLake Tuesday--Kiriakou declares his admiration for Snowden's leaking of documents detailing NSA spying programs.
"Thank you for your revelations of government wrong-doing over the past week. You have done the country a great public service," Kiriakou writes.
From one whistleblower to another, Kiriakou shares his own lessons in best practices when facing severe crackdown, which in Snowden's case has led to an international manhunt. Kiriakou explains, "I wanted to offer you the benefit of my own whistleblowing experience and aftermath so that you don't make the same mistakes that I made."
His 'most important' advice? Never, ever cooperate with the FBI. Kiriakou--who is a former FBI employee--instructs Snowden:
DO NOT, under any circumstances, cooperate with the FBI. FBI agents will lie, trick, and deceive you. They will twist your words and play on your patriotism to entrap you. They will pretend to be people they are not - supporters, well-wishers, and friends - all the while wearing wires to record your out-of-context statements to use against you. The FBI is the enemy; it's a part of the problem, not the solution.
He also urges Snowden to find good legal representation and build infrastructure for international support campaigns, including a website. Furthermore, Kiriakou suggests that Snowden seek the support of 'prominent' groups and individuals, including supporters in Congress, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Government Accountability Project.
Kiriakou, who worked for the CIA from 1990-2004, stepped forward in 2007 as the first CIA employee to acknowledge agency-wide practices of using torture, including waterboarding and other brutal tactics. He was sentenced for allegedly leaking the name of a CIA employee to a reporter, but Kiriakou and his supporters say he was really punished for blowing the whistle.
"In truth, [my prison sentence] is my punishment for blowing the whistle on the CIA's illegal torture program and for telling the public that torture was official U.S. government policy," he wrote in a previous letter from prison. "But that's a different story."
_____________________