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The Greek American whistleblower is pushing back on reports that called his bid \u201chalf-joking\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n Former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou is making a bid to become the next US ambassador to Greece, and he is pushing back on suggestions that he isn\u2019t serious.<\/p>\n After Kathimerini described the bid as \u201chalf-joking\u201d, Kiriakou responded on X: \u201cMy pitch to be US ambassador to Greece made it into the country\u2019s biggest newspapers! A little confused why they say I made the pitch \u2018half-joking\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n The ambassadorship became vacant after Kimberly Guilfoyle left the post following allegations of misconduct. Career diplomat Josh Huck is now leading the US Embassy in Athens as charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires ad interim.<\/p>\n Kiriakou put his name forward on X on 15 October, appealing directly to President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n \u201cFolks, the Greek ambassadorship is open. President Trump, I know you love a dark horse candidate. Especially one who has been unjustly persecuted by the Obama DOJ,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIf you want someone who knows Athens like the back of his hand from hunting terrorists, I\u2019m your guy.\u201d<\/p>\n He set out his case in more detail on his podcast, John Kiriakou\u2019s Briefing Room<\/em>, pointing to his Greek heritage and years of experience in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what my chances are, but I would like to throw my hat in the ring here to be ambassador to Greece,\u201d he said. He argued that Greece deserved a US ambassador who knew its culture and people and was committed to transparency.<\/p>\n Kiriakou acknowledged that he would need a presidential pardon to take up the post.<\/p>\n \u201cMr President, if you are looking for a bold, unexpected choice that\u2019s gonna distract people from the midterm elections, I\u2019m the guy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Kiriakou, 62, worked for the CIA from 1990 to 2004. From 1998 to 2000 he was a counterterrorism operations officer based at the US Embassy in Athens. He later served on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to May 2011.<\/p>\n He became one of America\u2019s best-known whistleblowers after publicly disclosing details of the CIA\u2019s use of waterboarding in interrogations. He was later jailed for disclosing the identities of two CIA officers.<\/p>\n He recounted his intelligence career in his book The Reluctant Spy: My Secret Life in the CIA\u2019s War on Terror<\/em>.<\/p>\n Sources: John Kiriakou on X; Kathimerini<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n\u201cAthens like the back of his hand\u201d<\/h2>\n
From Athens station to whistleblower<\/h2>\n