Title: Inside the CIA with John Kiriakou
Show: Elizabeth Lane TV
Date: 2026-05-26
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXjcBoplc_c
Duration: 1:10:00

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[00:00] &gt;&gt; Hello everybody and we are live. Some

[00:30] people waited for this for a very long time, John. &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; And isn't it &gt;&gt; [clears throat] &gt;&gt; pleased to do this. And you know what, Lizzie? This is you've given me an opportunity here to make kind of a big announcement, too, if I could. &gt;&gt; Amazing. I can't wait. So, we'll get to the big announcement. First, I want to introduce you. Uh for people who do not know, this is John Kiriakou, former CIA officer, my favorite CIA officer, and a good friend

[01:00] of mine. I respect John very, very much. He got famous when he blew the whistle on CIA's torture program. He had the guts to do it when others didn't it and he went to prison for it, um which was a terrible experience. I personally know how much suffering he had to endure because of this agency. But today, we're going to talk about not just uh the CIA and its shenanigans, but also Mossad, Israel, and many more. So, guys, you will also get to ask John directly questions, whatever you want to know,

[01:30] and he'll be here to answer them. We'll get to super chat at the end of the show. Now, John, let's start with the announcement. So, I am starting a new podcast called John Kiriakou's Briefing Room. It is going to be on uh on YouTube. If you go to real John Kiriakou, that's the page. Uh we're going to start it in the next 4 weeks. And, um,

[02:00] it will be sort of the new, improved reboot of Deep Focus. It's going to be much more professionally done, um, in-depth conversations and explanations of things going around the world. I'm very, very proud of it. Amazing. I can't wait to watch. Isn't it crazy that our conversation has to happen live while we're doing a show? When we used to just call each other on the phone and chat, like now it's this, but that what makes

[02:30] it so natural, right? So, we can talk &gt;&gt; And I got to say, Lizzie, every time you talk, I learn something. Because you go so deep into these issues, and I've I found myself quoting you with some frequency. Oh, the same, John, right? Make it happen. &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; So, let's start with, uh, a new development you just told me before we went live, that the guy that almost killed you got out of prison. Explain to people what happened, who he killed, how you survived accidentally, and the

[03:00] entire story. We like stories. Yeah. Yeah, I'm very upset about this. Very to the point where I've actually lost sleep over this. So, Greece the the whole country of Greece was the was the collective victim of a terrorist group called Revolutionary Organization 17 November. 17 November was active between 1975 and 2002. And they launched hundreds of attacks in that period. They killed 28 people, including the CIA station chief, Richard

[03:30] Welch, four American, I'm sorry, two American defense attachés, an American a hapless African-American Air Force technical sergeant who was just doing his laundry, not bothering anybody, and they walked in and just shot him dead. And, uh, they killed the Turkish ambassador, the Turkish deputy ambassador, the British defense attaché, the Greek Minister of Communications, the Greek Minister of Finance, the Greek governor of the Central Bank, a number of Greek newspaper publishers,

[04:00] just a vicious, violent, murderous Stalinist terrorist group. Um the group was broken up, disrupted in 2002 by the Greek National Police. And they were all arrested. The masterminds, five of them, Alexandros Yotopoulos, um a guy known as the Black Hand, Dimitris Koufodinas, and three brothers, the Xiros brothers,

[04:30] remain remained in prison. Um they were sentenced to 1,765 years in prison, which in Greece means 20 years. So, when the 20 years was up in in 2022, there was talk of releasing these guys, the American Embassy jumped up and down and lost their [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] and the paroles were were put aside. Well, Yotopoulos, again, the mastermind

[05:00] of this group and of all of its assassinations, was released 3 days ago. As we're speaking, he's out free, having a coffee and a cigarette, hanging out with his friends. Well, I this hurts me very much. In in 2000, the year 2000, when I was stationed in Greece, 17 November murdered my next-door neighbor, the British defense attache Steven Saunders. Now, what they would do,

[05:30] almost all the time, they would just drop a manifesto at the site of the of the attack. There is a backstory I want from you, though. I remember this because I think the first time you told me this story is when I visited you in Washington D.C. Right. &gt;&gt; And Steven Saunders was the guy who told you, "John, you're so paranoid. Like, you know, Americans are so paranoid." And then he got killed. And maybe like tell us the story and then &gt;&gt; Yeah. &gt;&gt; Yeah. Yeah, poor Stephen. Stephen Listen, the downside of Stephen Saunders Stephen

[06:00] was a a brigadier general, one star general in the British Army. He was the British defense attaché. And Stephen was a media [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] He Any Any time there was a camera, he would jump right in front of it and smile and give an interview and it was all great. He He loved the camera, the camera loved him. He was a good-looking guy. Lovely wife. Two young daughters. They're grown women now. And um And so he moved in next door to me. Our

[06:30] Well, not next door. Our backyards abutted. And so we were at a dinner one night. It was It was the evening of the day that I had gotten a new car. I had gotten a fully armored BMW 540 because Greece was so dangerous. We were always in danger of being assassinated in our cars. So the CIA bought me this fully armored BMW 540. It was the first 540 in Greece.

[07:00] We couldn't even register it with an insurance company. We had to buy insurance in Germany. But I I needed the the that big 400 cc engine uh to carry all that armor, right? Mhm. So that night we're at a we're at a uh a dinner. And I'm standing I'm standing with Stephen, with a French defense attaché and the American defense attaché, who was a friend of mine. And Stephen was making fun of me in a

[07:30] joking, fun way um because of my car. And he said, "You Americans, you're so paranoid." Um He goes, "This is an EU country. It's a NATO country. What are you so afraid of?" And everybody laughed. And I said, I said, "You Brits live in a dream world if you think that because they have pretty beaches and palm trees that they're not

[08:00] going to kill you if they have the chance. Believe me, if they have the chance, they're going to kill you." And 2 weeks later, they killed him. Yeah. Several months passed. They didn't They didn't leave a manifesto at that attack. And so, several months passed and I went into the office one day. It was August uh 16th, 2000. And my boss runs into my office and he says, "Did you see the

[08:30] manifesto?" I said, "What manifesto?" And um he said "The 17 November manifesto on Saunders." And I said, "They didn't They didn't drop a manifesto." And he said, "No, they they issued it today. They sent it to one of the the leftist newspapers." I said, "No, I didn't I didn't hear anything about it." And um And he says, "They mentioned you." I said, "Me? What did they say?" And he showed it to me and it said It

[09:00] said "Etha meton megalo kataskopous. We saw the big spy. But we knew he was armed and he was driving an armored car. So, we elected to carry out the revolutionary sentence on the war criminal Saunders." Wow. &gt;&gt; And he said, "You've got to go." Yeah. &gt;&gt; And they drove me straight to the airport. And I took the with my family. They picked up my family in two other cars. My kids were I just dropped my kids off at school. And um

[09:30] and they they flew us back to the States and that was the end of it. But Crazy. But the group was finally destroyed, and these these evil men were finally brought to justice. But, Greece is the only country in the European Union that has a statute of limitations on murder. It's 20 years. And so, one of the shooters in the Richard Welch assassination, Yiannis Serifis, got off scot-free.

[10:00] Because 20 years had passed, and he hadn't participated in any other murders. We got all the rest of them. They got 1,765 years, which really means 20, and in this case meant 24. Yes. And now they're free to go. I'm really angry about this. That's crazy. Well, I mean, yeah. There There's a lot to be angry about today in the world, and we will dive into some of this stuff. You know, I I remember you told me once that you truly got to know the

[10:30] CIA's the the the deep state of the CIA, the part &gt;&gt; Yeah. that we call deep state. When you actually got out, when you were in, I'm guessing you were just so dialed in and focused on exactly like compartmentalized agency. So, like you had Mhm. whatever you were doing, and never really looked around, right? So, tell me that revelation in your head, like, okay, so you learned, oh [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] my agency is actually doing this, and this, and this. So, tell me what happened.

[11:00] &gt;&gt; know what? It started just before I left. And I'll give you one example. Mhm. I worked in what we called the bullpen in the Counterterrorism Center. There must have been 150 cubicles set up. To the point where there were so many people working in the bullpen with private offices all around the perimeter. The director of of counterterrorism, the deputy director, the deputy director for operations, the deputy director for military affairs,

[11:30] deputy director for analysis, and then like the chief of Hezbollah, the chief of Alex station, whatever, all the way around. And we were all in the bullpen. There were so many of us that they had to set up they they named the aisles. Like it was Bin Laden Boulevard, Hezbollah Highway. So you could say, "Oh, I work at the intersection of, you know, whatever." So, um, there was [snorts] a guy that had one of the private offices very near me. Really

[12:00] friendly guy. And every morning he'd come in and say, "Good morning, guys." And we'd say, "Good morning, Rick. How you doing?" "Morning, guys. How was your weekend, guys?" "Hey, Rick, weekend was great, Rick. How are you?" And, um, you know, after weeks of this, I said to this guy I sat next to, Frank, I said, you know, he is the nicest guy, but I don't have any idea what he does here. And Frank said, "John, he's the head of the special activities division."

[12:30] Okay. And I was like, right, which explains why he disappears for a week at a time. As it turned out, he would he would get his orders from the participants in the so-called Tuesday morning kill list meeting, get his list of people that he needed to kill that week. The teams would fan out around the world, kill everybody on the list, and then come back the next Tuesday for the

[13:00] next week's list. And I remember saying, "Listen, I was traumatized as much as everybody else was on 9/11, but we're a nation of laws. And none of these people have ever been charged with a crime." Yeah. If If you're going to kill somebody, charge them with a crime, find them guilty, and sentence them. Exactly. can't &gt;&gt; decide you don't like somebody's politics, and you send a team out to whatever country he happens to be in and

[13:30] put a bullet in his head. Which we do. Which we do. Yeah. &gt;&gt; Every day. Yep. And so that was my first inkling that things had changed and they had changed quite dramatically. I had knew of course about the the torture program, the secret prison program, renditions. I mean, we wore renditions on our sleeves. There there there were no secrets surrounding renditions inside the building.

[14:00] It was only later that it came out into the public. Mhm. That's crazy. All right, let's get into some stories from the CIA. You can pick whatever you want to tell us like some maybe something funny. I have one story that John Nixon, our friend, mutual friend told me and that was like to me that was wow, the sociopathic level in this agency is crazy. So, it's about our favorite guy, John, Mike Hayden.

[14:30] &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; Oh. I know, the the war criminal, the crazy. I don't know which one is worse, Gina Haspel or Michael Hayden. I mean, who destroyed this country? Hayden was more odious. Right, exactly. And somehow he thought he was like the best person and smartest person in the room. So, John Nixon told me once and this is so funny. You might know this story. So, the first time he saw Hayden, he saw him with this guy like younger guy just following him everywhere.

[15:00] And he was like, who the heck is this guy? I mean, we understand who Michael Hayden is. By the way, for people who do not know, Michael Hayden headed the CIA and NSA, both organizations, which is just crazy to me. Imagine &gt;&gt; Head of NSA Head of NSA on 9/11. Right, on 9/11. And also is the guy who pretty much aided Bush into Patriot Act, right? He was the one pushing it. He was the one helping create it. So, he sold out his country in the shortest like, you

[15:30] know, version that I can give you. But, John Nixon, also a CIA officer, sees Michael Hayden and he's like moving around with this young man. And this young man has a cooler. Like, you know, the soda cooler? Oh, no. Yeah, and he's just there moving around and John was like, "Who is this man? Like, who is this young guy?" And they told him, "Oh, that's his personal assistant, so that when he gets hot the cooler is right there. He can provide sodas to him." &gt;&gt; Oh my god.

[16:00] &gt;&gt; It's a real story. It's a real story. And um John Nixon goes like, "Should we get a personal air conditioning for this guy or something? Like, what's going on here?" And this is the head of NSA and the CIA. Like, walking around in in very sensitive meetings with this young man with a freaking cooler. What are we even discussing here, right? &gt;&gt; Uh let me add something about Mike Pompeo. Okay. &gt;&gt; So, I have a friend who was at the State Department. &gt;&gt; Yeah. And he resigned from the State

[16:30] Department to try to sort of go it alone, make a consulting firm, had some moderate success. I did a little bit of like lectures. I did some lectures for him. And then he said, "I can't make a living doing this." So, he applied to the CIA, got into the CIA in the office of security doing close-in protection of Mike Pompeo. And you know, close-in protection with like the the the folding machine gun strapped to his chest, that

[17:00] kind of thing. Traveling all around the world with him. And uh we had lunch and I said um I said, "So, how's life with Mike Pompeo?" And he said, "Oh my god. Do you have any idea who is the only person less popular at the CIA than Mike Pompeo? I said, "No, who?" He says, "Mrs. Mike Pompeo." Oh my goodness. &gt;&gt; And I said, "Really?" And he says, he said, "Here's my

[17:30] imitation of Mrs. Mike Pompeo. You, go get my dry cleaning. You, walk my dog. The dog needs to go out." And they're like, "Mrs. Pompeo, with all due respect, we're not walking your dog and we're not picking up your dry cleaning. We're here to protect your husband from getting shot." Wow. Wow. &gt;&gt; He said she was a monster. Reminds me of Hillary Clinton. Oh, she was another one. Oh, like you tell us

[18:00] Hillary Clinton story. You have a lot of those. I remember &gt;&gt; Hillary Clinton stories. Very I forget his last name. He wrote a book about them. He was a Secret Service agent with the the Clintons and he said to me once that Hillary Clinton slapped somebody, like one of the Secret Service agency. She literally slapped them in the face. And if I had been that guy, I would have slapped back. Like and she wouldn't have gotten up from that. Like who do you think you are, you rotten human? Who do you think you are, you know? Tell me like I saw I

[18:30] I saw Senator Maria Cantwell one time throw a stapler at a staff aide and call him a [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] idiot. "You [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] idiot!" And she threw a stapler. And then looked around to see if there were any cameras. &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; People in charge of this country just like a freaking circus. Okay, tell me a Hillary Clinton story. We got to we got to have one in every show. Oh my god. Well, I've got kind of my now famous Hillary Clinton story. I will say

[19:00] I was on a plane once. I was going to New York with my wife and my then wife and two sons. We were going to my brother's wedding in New York and Hillary Clinton was on the plane and she was in the first row. And a kid walked up to her and asked her for an autograph and we heard her say like loudly enough that the first five or six rows could hear it, "Get lost, kid." &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; So, when I was stationed in Athens, forgive me if you've heard this story already,

[19:30] but when I was stationed in Athens, we had a presidential visit and um when there's a presidential visit &gt;&gt; laughing at the first "I get &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; lost, kid." She's got such a motherly instinct, John. Oh my god, what a monster. &gt;&gt; monster. My grandfather I I had an aunt who was kind of butch and my grandfather used to call her I Horos Suza, which means like a big burly bear. And that's that was always the the Greek nickname that I associated

[20:00] with Hillary Hillary Clinton like I Horos Suza, she's just big mean burly bear. So, when when there's a presidential visit in the country that you're that you're assigned to, everybody drops everything that they're doing to pitch in. It doesn't matter if you are CIA or state or commerce or agriculture or whatever you do, Yeah. you're going to help with the presidential visit. So, to be fair, the ambassador, whom I loathed, Nicholas Burns,

[20:30] um Burns put all the jobs in a hat, like in an actual hat that he brought in and we took turns picking our jobs out of the hat. Surprisingly democratic for somebody like Nick Burns. It was my lucky day. I hit the lottery because the job that I pulled out was to be the note taker in Clinton's meeting with the prime minister. That was the job that everybody wanted. Right. So,

[21:00] I I mean I was I was a an accomplished note taker. People loved it when I would take notes. One of my station chiefs once told me that he so loved my reporting cables because when he would read them, he felt like he was in the room watching the meeting go down. And that was such a great compliment to me. So, um the meeting is held in the presidential suite at the Intercontinental Hotel. And it was the prime minister, the defense minister, the foreign minister.

[21:30] And for us, it was the president, Secretary of State Albright, um National Security Advisor Berger, Ambassador Burns, I wrote okay. and me. And And the Greeks had a note-taker. Yes. So, we had the meeting. I've told that story before. When the meeting was over, the president and Berger walked out together, then Albright and Burns walked out together, and then I walked out. And I'm just standing there against the wall

[22:00] because my job is to be is to speak when spoken to. My job's not to stand there and, you know, joke and josh with the president of the United States. So, I'm just standing there. Clinton and Berger finished their conversation, so Berger goes over to Albright and Burns. And just as he does that, I I'm I'm 2 and 1/2 ft from Clinton. At the end of the hall, the elevator opens and Hillary and Chelsea walk off the

[22:30] elevator, and she's got this look on her face. I'm not exaggerating. Like this. Typical Hillary look? Yeah. And I looked at her, and he looked at her, and I was like, "Oh, shit." So, she walks right up to us, and she just stops there. And one thing about Bill Clinton, he hates silence. He always wants to be laughing and talking and joking and telling stories. So, he says, "Boy, we sure had a good time at at

[23:00] Parthenon this morning, didn't we, Hill? And she looks at him. And she doesn't say anything. So, he repeats himself. And he says, "We sure had a good time at the Parthenon this morning, didn't we, Hill?" And she says, "Jesus Christ, Bill, it rained all day. I'll be in the room." &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; And then she goes between us with Chelsea. And I look at Clinton, and he looks at me. I didn't say anything, but I he knew my look was like, "You poor man. You have to lay next to that every day, every night."

[23:30] So, he looks at me and he says, "Let's get the hell out of here." And he walks to the elevator. I follow him to the elevator. The Secret Service jumps in. Then Burger and Albright jump in and the and the ambassador goes down to the basement to 500 screaming women from the the Greek American Businesswomen's Association. And he gave one of these vintage Bill Clinton speeches. It was the very first time that I had seen with my own eyes the Clinton aura. You

[24:00] know, there's some politicians that have it. Most don't. Mhm. But I saw that Clinton aura for the first time. &gt;&gt; aura brand It's a brand. They are not in love. I mean, you know, I I feel like Bill is afraid of Hillary till today, probably. &gt;&gt; I I agree with that. Yeah, and she's like she's got the pants. Like she she wears him like like a puppet, for sure. It's crazy. I'm glad that we didn't end up with as bad as things are, Jordan.

[24:30] I'm glad we didn't end up with her in power. I think if Hillary if Hillary had won in 2016, we would have been mired in eight years of unending war. Right. I really believe it. I agree with you. I absolutely &gt;&gt; May May I May I tell you one other Clinton story? &gt;&gt; Yeah, yeah. So, I became friendly with a guy who is now the president of um What do you President of Rutgers University. Um Clay Constantinou. Clay

[25:00] was the head of fundraising for Clinton in both '92 and '96. The head of fundraising for the Mid-Atlantic. There were six fundraising chiefs. He was the head of uh fundraising for the Mid-Atlantic. And he was named ambassador to Luxembourg as a as a reward. So he and I became friendly and he told me the greatest story about Monica Lewinsky. He's Well, not about Lewinsky, about the Lewinsky scandal. Yeah.

[25:30] &gt;&gt; And he said that um He said that all the six fundraisers got together when the Lewinsky scandal broke and they said, "Clinton's got to resign. Right. &gt;&gt; We've got to go to him as a block, as a group, no daylight between us. He's got to resign. Let's go talk to Gore." So they talked to Al Gore. They said, "We're going to call on the president to resign and you would become president and it would set you up better to run in

[26:00] 2000." And Gore says, "Okay, I'm in." They reserve a conference room at the Willard Hotel, which is a block from the from the White House. And they're like, "Okay, they meet the night before. This is what we're going to do. This is what we're going to say. He's got to resign for the good of the country. This Lewinsky scandal, it's too much for Americans to take and um he's got to go." And Gore's all in. So they go to the Willard. Clinton comes in

[26:30] and he looks at them and he says, "I have let you down, friends." And he starts crying. &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; Cameleon. Cameleon. Clay said that somebody behind him behind him shouts, "We love you, Bill." And he [laughter] says, "I love you." And then everybody's hugging and then they're shouting four more years, four more years. And I said, "Come on, Clay." He said, "Listen,

[27:00] somebody ratted us out. He knew exactly what he was walking into that day." Wow. &gt;&gt; exactly what our weak point was. And so Gore never became president, Clinton never resigned, the rest is history. That is crazy, and you're so spot-on. Gary said the same thing. He told me Bill Clinton had this weird ability to convince you into whatever he wanted. Like, if this guy, and I'm quoting him now, if this guy told me my

[27:30] name was not Gary, I will I would actually get my ID and look at it. Right. That's how he was. And it's Yeah, it's crazy. Well, I'm glad we are over Clinton phase, but now, John, we have a whole new narcissist in the office, and I stand by this, because as much as I loved Trump, as much as I supported him, he has shown that narcissism is real in the White House, and you know, he isolated himself with

[28:00] ass-kissers. I mean, Lindsey Graham, and you know, Mark Levin, and these crazy psychopaths that are all for war. So, let's talk about the situation with Israel, and how we have the most pro-Zionist president ever, and why is that the case? How is that Israelis can lobby this entire freaking country beyond limitations? How is it? Oh, Lizzie, there is so much to talk about

[28:30] here. Start wherever you want, John. You know, let's start with AIPAC. Yes. &gt;&gt; [snorts] &gt;&gt; AIPAC was not a factor in American elections until the early 1970s. You know, it was a it was a lobbying group. Um it never registered as a foreign agent. They felt that they never had to. And then, certainly, you know, that power feeds on itself. But, um, when Richard Nixon, in 1969,

[29:00] guaranteed the security of Israel, that changed American politics. Um, it it emboldened the Israelis. Johnson was strongly pro-Israel. Kennedy was not, and, you know, we can certainly have that conversation. Yes. But, but Nixon made it actual US policy to guarantee the security of Israel. And and AIPAC just kind of exploded in size

[29:30] and in funding to the point where they literally assign a lobbyist to every member of Congress. Every single one. Some of them have multiple members of Congress. Lizzie, you've been up on Capitol Hill. You go to John Fetterman's office, or you go to, um, to, uh, what's his name from Arkansas, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, um, that idiot. &gt;&gt; I forget the name. That idiot, uh,

[30:00] what's his name? Um, guys, remind us in the chat. &gt;&gt; Come on, help Yeah, help us out, guys. Help us out. Um, but yes, I They have the Israeli flag outside their office. There's an American flag and an Israeli flag. Oh, the, Oh, it almost came back to me. Hold on. Yes. Yes. Or or you can go with the, you know, again, Lindsey Graham, who told Americans &gt;&gt; that told Americans that I'm sorry, you're not as important as he He said, "Forget it." I'm quoting him. "Forget it. I stand with Israel. I don't stand

[30:30] with you. I stand with Israel." Like, "Until his final breath," he said. "Until my final breath, I will stand with Israel," he said. &gt;&gt; Rand Paul, I mean, I can Rand Paul is another one. &gt;&gt; whatever. Yes. &gt;&gt; That's right. And Randy Fine, didn't he wear an IDF uniform onto the floor of the house? &gt;&gt; also has an Israeli flag. We have a picture of him with the Israeli flag closer than the American flag, too. So, &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; it's absolute nonsense. Why do you &gt;&gt; So, um Yeah, that's the case. This this

[31:00] now extends to state and local governments, too. I I'll tell you a story I haven't told. Um uh uh Texas state senator called me and he's a fan very nice guy and he said, "Hey, I want to I want to do a John Kiriakou Day in the state of Texas. It's a proclamation. We do like 140, 150 of these a year and the governor signs it and you get a certificate with a big, you know, seal of the state of Texas on it." I said, "Oh my god, that's awesome. Thank you so

[31:30] much." He calls me 3 weeks later. He said, "Listen, that John Kiriakou Day, that's not going to happen." And I said, "What happened?" And he said, he said, "AIPAC objected." &gt;&gt; Wow. &gt;&gt; And I said, "AIPAC is at the state legislature level?" And he said, "Oh, yeah, in all 50 states." Well, now we know that they are lobbying individual school board race elect- school board races.

[32:00] That's how deep they are in government. And then when you couple that with somebody like Miriam Adelson Oh my god. &gt;&gt; that spend hundreds literally hundreds of millions of dollars on &gt;&gt; where he's her money comes from, right? You know where money comes &gt;&gt; Oh, yeah. And she how tight she's with China. Mhm. Do you remember Macau deal? Yeah, the Macau deal, they made billions of dollars in Macau. Chinese are degenerate gamblers. Yeah. &gt;&gt; Yes. Yes. That's what made Adelson's the

[32:30] formidable power. I just did a post on X, which you guys should read. So, she's so tightly intertwined with child Chinese elites and government. Yes. And I'm quoting Trump now. He said, "Well, she's more, you know, supportive to Israel. She's more loyal to Israel." So, you have a woman funding our president who's more loyal to Israel and is tied head and toe with China. Where do you think things are going to go from from now on? Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. So, but

[33:00] here's the thing. Many people lobby the United States. It's not just Israel. It's just Israeli lobby is the most powerful and seems like they've got us somehow either with blackmail or whatever, right? So, here's what I want to talk about. Why is that so dangerous and why is Israel such a dangerous state? And you had first-hand experience with so-called ally of the United States, how they spy on the CIA, how they hid information. Give me some stories about that because

[33:30] I want to show people what Israeli space really looks like. You know, I think they've seen it already, but let's go, you know? I'll I'll tell you a story that I've never told before. You've heard the story about how the Mossad would break into my colleague's house and cut the dog's tail off and take shits in all the toilets and rearrange the furniture. Um I've told that story a number of times, but another story was um

[34:00] back in the '90s, the US ambassador to Israel um was driving from the embassy back to his residence and had a blowout. One of his tires had blown out. And so, the driver pulls the car over and um and gets out and two guys pull up and say, "Hey, you need some help um changing the tire." So, they help him change the tire. Uh the ambassador had gotten out to take a look at it. He got back in the car.

[34:30] these guys drive away, the ambassador and his driver drive away, and they realize the ambassador's briefcase is missing. So, it was a setup. It turned out that the tire had been shot. It hadn't blown out. It was a very well-placed small-caliber shot. So, it flattened the tire, and while they momentarily distracted the driver and the ambassador, they stole his briefcase. Now, it had in it, well,

[35:00] maybe I shouldn't say what it had in it. It had classified documents in it, as you might imagine it would have. Now, were those documents necessarily that important to the national security? No. But, that's not the issue. The issue is that they do things like this. Right. We're supposed to be not just allies, but the closest allies in the world. Exactly. Two their allies &gt;&gt; do things like this. John, answer this question. If Spain or England or any

[35:30] other country had done this, what would happen to them? They would be reprimanded. Pretty bad. It would it would change our relationship with that country for a generation. Right. But, Israel is getting a green light on everything, and they can, excuse my language, they language, they can [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] all over, and they know it will be just fine, right? Yes. Do you think &gt;&gt; Absolutely. Do you think that's because

[36:00] of the elite class, Zionist elite rich class in the United States? Because Israel is this tiny little pipsqueak that we can crush anytime. We don't even have to take military action, we can just seize the aid, and that's it, right? We can isolate them, and that's it. So, obviously, the real power is here in the United States, and this elite class that is supplying, I call it a triangle. So, the elites uh

[36:30] put money, huge money into Israel, supported, bribed the politicians, and then Israelis come back and lobby us again. Like it's almost like this money goes from the elites to the Congress to Israelis back to the elite, the corporate world, right? Do you think that's like a fair explanation of what's going on? I do. I do think that's a fair explanation of what's going on. But, I'll tell you what, the Israelis are going to lead to their own demise. Oh, yeah. Because I was thinking about this the other day, and forgive the

[37:00] simplicity of this, but you know how if you have a let's say you have a beaker of warm water and you put salt in. Uh-huh. &gt;&gt; The salt disappears in the water. It the it it you know, the water just sort of absorbs the salt. But, if you put in too much salt, it can't absorb any more and the salt just settles at the bottom. This is what the Israelis have done. The Israelis have pushed us to the brink. They accuse everybody who doesn't support Israeli government policy of

[37:30] being anti-Semitic. We're not anti-Semitic. We don't like Benjamin Netanyahu, and we don't like our government being told what to do by a foreign government. Exactly. But, you get to the point where you you accuse everybody of being anti-Semitic and the word loses all meaning. It doesn't mean anything. Exactly. &gt;&gt; And so, they're losing the American people. Yeah. &gt;&gt; And then you end up with Lindsey Graham looking like a raving idiot. And

[38:00] lunatic. &gt;&gt; Yes. &gt;&gt; a lunatic, and Tom Cotton, and John Fetterman last week saying that he has a he has a friend, it's an AIPAC lobbyist, who literally participates in every foreign policy discussion in that office and is on every phone call that Fetterman does having to do with international affairs. He's not a government employee. He's an APAC employee. This mental

[38:30] [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] excuse my language, what else can you call this? Like and he's proud of it. They are proud of it. And okay, well, I mean to your own destruction, man. Look at what's happening in the United States. People never had hatred. They were unfairly treated. They They understood, okay, I guess that's the deal. But now there's a real hatred towards Israelis. And it was only born out of this madness, right? So quickly, guys, I see your questions. So

[39:00] super chat, I see the super chat. I'll get to it in a bit. So first I want to ask John a hard question. And I I I don't care, John. You know me. Like I'm not afraid of anybody. I don't care. I'm just going to say exactly what I believe. I never sugarcoat things. People are like, "Well, I don't oppose Israeli creation. I mean, you know, I'm I'm pro-Israel, but I don't want to support Israel." And then to that I always answer,

[39:30] "Mhm, I don't know. I kind of oppose Israeli creation. I mean, it's already there, so I cannot dismantle it. That would be illegal and criminal, but I'm not pro-Israeli creation as a state. I think it's a fake state. I think if if I had been, you know, participate participant in the process, I would say no. I would veto it if I could have that power." So what is your opinion? Should Israel had been like, you know, created as an entity as it is today or do you think it's absolute nonsense?

[40:00] That is it. That is a tough one. Um &gt;&gt; [clears throat] &gt;&gt; You know, I I hate to even say this. I'm &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; People are going to lose their [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] on me. I really don't care. Good. &gt;&gt; either way or the other. Um listen, should there be an Israeli state? Yeah, maybe. Um It frankly should have been What is the reason? You see, that's what I don't understand. &gt;&gt; Well, the reason that I would say is because of the politics of the time. The

[40:30] politics of 1947, 48, 49. It's the the the war has just ended. The Holocaust has just taken place. The Jews wanted a homeland, needed a homeland. The international community agreed. It was They went about it in all the wrong way. Yeah, but did they though? You see, this is the question no one can answer and I think you're smart enough, bright enough, and direct enough to do that for me. So, I don't think Jews needed a state. I think politics needed you know, their own outlet in the Middle East and

[41:00] that's why it happened. Because here's the thing. That's entirely possible. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, Jews were oppressed. Okay, where exactly other than Germany and Italy? Poland. Yeah, Poland, okay. So, Georgians treated Jews really well. &gt;&gt; Ukraine. Um, well, depends in Ukraine and they had a have heaven in the United States as well. So, Henry Kissinger was a wartime Jew, escaped Germany and became one of the most important figures in America. So, I'm sorry, but I don't buy this story that Jews were oppressed in America.

[41:30] Richie boys I don't think they were oppressed in America. Richie Richie boys became the famous Camp Richie boys were German Jews. It was like kind of German Jew immigrants that reached, you know, high levels of government positions and many more. So, I don't think they needed a state because they were oppressed. I don't think we should go ahead and, you know, start assigning religious, you know, group of people states and just giving them a land. But, I think it happened

[42:00] because the United States Zionist organization needed an outlet in the Middle East. It was too important to lose it. And so, it was established. Do you Would you agree with that? And obviously, there are many other reasons, but would you agree &gt;&gt; Well, yeah, but but I think though, I mean in terms of realpolitik Mhm. it's done, and there's nothing we can do about it now. I think what we really need to focus on as a country, as a part of the international community, is there absolutely must be a free and

[42:30] independent Palestine. Totally. &gt;&gt; It's not negotiable. There has to be an independent Palestine. I I went to Israel twice in 2022. First time I'd ever been. I I boycotted it all the years that I was at the agency. I focused only on the Arab countries. That's my passion, my love. So, I never went until 2002. I'm sorry, 2022. And one of the things that struck me was

[43:00] that literally every Israeli that I spoke to mocked me when I said something about the two-state solution. And then I said something that really pissed them off. I said, "Frankly, I support a three-state solution." They were like, "What are you talking about?" I said, "There's no possible way that the West Bank and the Gaza Strip can be a non-contiguous successful country. It's not possible. Gaza should be its own country. Or

[43:30] it could even be a protectorate of Saudi Arabia or Egypt or something like that. But the West Bank at least has to be Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital. Not negotiable. &gt;&gt; I I think that's a great solution. I think it's incredible. So, why not? &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; Why not? Why not? &gt;&gt; Well &gt;&gt; Well, the the Israelis And see, this is another thing. Somebody said in the chat a second ago, made me think of it.

[44:00] Why are we not allowed to say the word Jew anymore? I I talked about Christians, Muslims, and Jews recently in a in a uh podcast and somebody corrected me in the chat and say Christians, Muslims, and people of the Jewish faith. Oh, oh, I see. I see. Okay. Yeah, how do you like that? And I'm like, no. I'm not doing that. Jews. That's it. &gt;&gt; Jews. Yep. Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Yeah. &gt;&gt; Yep. I don't understand it. Um you know,

[44:30] another thing that bothered me very much. You see this odd propaganda when you're in Israel. I wanted to go to the Western Wall, right? I'd never been. It's in the heart of Jerusalem, the heart of the old city. So, I go there and people have put up signs all over the place that say, "America, we are with you." It's like, what the [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] are you talking about? &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; I'M SORRY, THAT MAKES me laugh. Like

[45:00] We must wear on what? We don't want you with us. Yeah. And then you see these you see these billboards all over that have that have Trump and Netanyahu side by side and they're they're looking, you know, like Il Duce, right? In those old photos from the '30s and '40s. It's like, what is this weird propaganda Excuse me, propaganda all over the country. It's like it's like the propaganda's not even meant for

[45:30] Israelis. It It's meant for Americans who are visiting Israel. 100%. No one cares, John, about Israel. Look at the protest. Do you think they call it, "Oh, we have a democracy." No, you don't have [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] So, yeah. He's &gt;&gt; Well, like Tucker said the other day, Lizzy. &gt;&gt; Yeah. What kind of democracy is it when when millions upon millions of your citizens aren't permitted to vote? That's not a democracy. No. No. &gt;&gt; Not at all. So, I absolutely agree with you on that and on the Israeli part of things. So,

[46:00] now as we almost are at the end of this and I get I have to get to the super chat questions, which I'll put it on the screen so you can read it as well, John. &gt;&gt; you. So, quickly, what is the solution to get rid of this cancer here? Do you think that cutting the lobbying is one of the solution? Obviously, never will happen. They outstayed Thomas Massie. Every time someone comes in with fresh ideas, it's like let's organize gang, let's kill them, let's kick them out. Well, they they can literally kill them,

[46:30] but they politically kill them as much as they can. So, give me like at least one solution, what can be done to get rid of this cancer in this country? The very first thing, the very very first thing is that AIPAC must be forced to register as a foreign agent. It is a foreign agent. It is. Lizzie, I'll give you a kind of a silly example. Yeah. &gt;&gt; Back in 2008, I was working for myself and I won a very modest contract to

[47:00] write I think it was four op-eds for the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce. I had to register as a foreign agent. I mean, this was this was a like a $5,000 contract and I had to register as an agent of the Abu Dhabi government. But, AIPAC spends literally hundreds of millions of dollars on American political races at every single level and they're just a group of concerned Americans. Nothing else?

[47:30] &gt;&gt; Who who happen to be pro-Israel and that is just nonsensical. So, number one, they have to they have to register. Number two, as recently as the George W. Bush administration, there was a real debate taking place in the American Muslim community about whether or not it was Islamic to participate in elections. There was a real fight. Interesting. the answer should be a resounding absolutely yes. Muslims

[48:00] should be voting. They should be marching and protesting and running for office just like everybody else does. Yeah, as American citizens, right? Like you Yeah. &gt;&gt; citizens. Well, yeah, here's the thing. This country says that there there's a religious freedom here. You want to be a Jew, be a Jew. You want to convert to Judaism, be my guest. You want to be a Muslim, be a Muslim as long as you're a legit American citizen you hold one more very important effing thing. You hold one passport. I'm for that.

[48:30] Like I Like if you want to, you know, be loyal to other countries, then you have to come out and declare yourself that I can never get into politics because I have like three passports and, you know, I'm loyal to three countries. I think that should be made a rule. But for usual Americans, you can hold whatever you want, but for politics and Congress, like no, bro. Like now you have bigger responsibility. So, American passport is the only only way here, right? But I agree with you with with the elections

[49:00] and everything else. So, uh let me get to the questions real quick quick cuz people have been waiting. We've got some new members as well. So, let me know if you can see the questions, John. Hi Jason. Hi. So, this one was a good one. John, do you believe that the CIA MK Ultra program is still going on? Also, I'm praying for your pardon. Oh, yes. And uh thank you for speaking out. Thank you for that. &gt;&gt; Okay. You know, I'm getting a little bit of feedback, Lizzie. Uh I don't know why

[49:30] on my end. Sorry, one second. Let me You know what? I'm going to mute myself so you can answer the question. I don't know what's going on, but yeah, go ahead. So, God, I hate to even say it, but yeah, I do believe that there is some kind of MK Ultra-like program taking place. I I think that if the CIA stopped MK Ultra, that stop was was temporary. They don't call it MK Ultra, certainly.

[50:00] They're not They're not experimenting with LSD, you know, that's all That's all been done. I doubt that there's, you know, anything around the issue of remote viewing or stuff that was experimented with in the '50s and the '60s into the early mid-'70s. I think now it's all tech. And I think it's exceedingly dangerous. If If you haven't done so, go to Wikipedia and look up Vault 7.

[50:30] It's going to make your hair stand up. But there was a There was a CIA whistleblower by the name of Joshua Schulte who leaked the so-called Vault 7 documents to WikiLeaks. They are far more damning than anything that Ed Snowden ever ever revealed. And it shows you just how deep the CIA is technologically in our day-to-day lives. Absolutely. And since we're on it, John, they had, even years ago, 40-plus years ago, during Castro, they had cancer

[51:00] bioweapon. And [clears throat] all they had to do just sprinkle something or a pinprick, and I believe he was Hugo Chávez that told you that Vladimir Putin or someone else, I can't &gt;&gt; He told Castro. Oh, Castro, that's right. That like they can just like it it would be like a pinprick, like a little thing that they can um a sting you with, and you can develop like a serious cancer. So it was a it was a thing, and they have bioweapons like, you know, some kind of viruses, and we we've all seen that. Well, they

[51:30] experimented with viruses and with bacteria as part of MK Ultra. They released them into the atmosphere in San Francisco. Right. Uh and And then they experimented in that French village with with the the bakery bread. &gt;&gt; Sens Sens Free was the village and yeah, and Frank Olsen felt so guilty. He was a CIA operative and he felt so guilty that he started talking about and they they dosed him and threw him out the window. &gt;&gt; Committed su- Yeah. Committed su-

[52:00] committed suicide. &gt;&gt; Suicide. Yeah, exactly. So, what scares you the most from these weapons? That's actually very That's the question I want you to answer because you've been in the industry, you've been inside the CIA. What scares you from these weapons more than anything? You know, to tell you the truth, biological weapons were never They were never able to develop biological weapons to the point where they could use them on a massive

[52:30] scale. I'm far more afraid of technological weapons. Far more afraid. &gt;&gt; Not not counting COVID now that we know that CIA whistleblowers said that COVID in a way a biological weapon, right? COVID was in a way. In a In a way, yeah. And and I think now it's generally accepted that it it was a lab leak. Despite the the denials after denials, it was a lab leak. I will say in 2002, when I was the executive assistant to

[53:00] the Deputy Director for Operations, that's when SARS broke out in Southeast Asia. And um and the Deputy Director ordered me to um write a cable, an all hands cable for every CIA officer in the world saying no travel anywhere for anyone. It It was the first time in my career we ever had a travel ban. And it was because of SARS. And I said, "Are you Are you really that afraid that

[53:30] this is going to turn into something?" And he said, "Yes." He said, "My biggest fear is a pandemic." And I kind of kept that in the back of my head until you know, 2019 when COVID broke out and I was like, well, here it is. This is exactly what he was afraid was going to happen and it happened and it turned out it happened because of a lab leak. Absolutely. Next one. Is there ordinance in so-called outlawing gardens? I don't know. Do you know this? This is for you.

[54:00] Not that I Not that I ever heard of. I always It was always my belief that that was voluntary. Yeah, let me see next one. Okay, so this is probably for John. Did you ever support Trump looking back? Was it draining the swamp ever draining this swamp ever real or doomed once it uh conflicted with AIPAC, other foreign interests? Thanks. So, I guess this

[54:30] person is if if it was a ever real or maybe he played the game. &gt;&gt; I I don't think he played the game. I think that There were two problems. I I think one problem was that he underestimated the power of the swamp. He underestimated the power of the deep state. And number two, Yeah. &gt;&gt; when he had genuine opportunities to really do something to dismantle it, he instead gave

[55:00] appointments to deep state figures. For example, um John [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] Bolton? Mike Pompeo? Gina Haspel? What the heck was he &gt;&gt; Everyone warned him about all these people. I had Rand Paul in my show and Rand Paul said, I warned the president who John Bolton was. Like all these people, psychopathic maniacs, he still gave them this stage and position. &gt;&gt; Yes. Why do you think that happened?

[55:30] Why? I think that he seriously [snorts] underestimated the reach of the deep state. So, here here he gets elected president in 2016. He becomes president in 2017. He names these people around him that he thinks are outsiders, and they actually weren't outsiders. A lot of them were They appeared as outsiders, but they were long-time insiders. And they were connected to

[56:00] insiders. Yeah. &gt;&gt; And so, when you're drawing from the Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation is a quintessential insider conservative Involved in everything, Don. Involved in everything, freaking everything, even the data centers, even the data centers. I mean, can we just like what what is this, you know, like a Nazi Germany top-down rule? &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; Exactly. Exactly. And it wasn't just the Heritage Foundation, it was the the American Enterprise Institute. &gt;&gt; Yeah. Yeah.

[56:30] &gt;&gt; You know, and a lot of this AIPAC money. I mean, these these are quintessential insiders. They don't want outsiders. Outsiders are unpredictable. Wow. And so, I think they were able to infiltrate the the first Trump administration quite quickly and easily. And um and then the rest is uh a very disappointing history. Absolutely. Okay, next one. Uh don't you think the country's held hostage by the Fed being Israeli-owned?

[57:00] No. Sorry. Yeah, I I think the country's held hostage by the elites and bankers and financiers and &gt;&gt; That's different. Yeah. &gt;&gt; Yes. &gt;&gt; It's not Israeli that owns the Fed. It's just this elites created Israel. I always say this for a reason, and now they're looking for looking out for their baby. That's what's going on. Okay, next one. &gt;&gt; Yeah. Do you think Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson genuinely worry about

[57:30] Israel's influence or use it as a scapegoat to leave MAGA. I'm debating a friend. Well, I I've never met Candace. Tucker is a friend of mine, I'm proud to say, and I can tell you that Tucker genuinely believes everything he says. He genuinely believes every argument he makes, and I think he's truly worried about it. Candace, I'm not sure what to make of it. &gt;&gt; I know Candace, I can speak for that.

[58:00] Obviously, what I saw, right? I love Candace Owens. I think she's exactly what what she's on you know, on her show as like in real life. She was exactly that person. She's very genuine. I think she's very upset what happened to Charlie Kirk. I mean, Charlie and Candace were inseparable. They were good friends, and all of a sudden Charlie dies, and the answer is like some scrawny weird kid that they can't talk or can't fire a gun killed him. Yeah, I would be upset, too. So,

[58:30] no, I think both of them are very real and this like there is a serious coordinated propaganda that John was a victim to, and I was a victim, too, against them. And every time someone touches Tucker Carlson or Candace Owens or we invite them in the show or something, boom, the trolls on X just explode. Like that's a coordinated campaign, okay? So, they're &gt;&gt; Oh my god, yes. Yes. &gt;&gt; Lizzie, you cannot believe the death threats I've been getting. Oh, I know.

[59:00] They would make your hair stand up, and I'll tell you what, um I have to interrupt myself. Kyle Kulinski, sorry, but you're a [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] idiot. Yes. Um [laughter] &gt;&gt; [gasps] &gt;&gt; The the death threats that I'm getting, where these people have become so bold Yeah. that they put their name, their phone number, and their email address. Yeah. Yeah. I trust you. I know.

[59:30] After Candace's interview, John, I've never seen anything like this from my emails to X, and especially X, because it's completely a Zionist platform today. They pay too much money because they know that that's the only platform they can actually influence because you can't delete the comments. So, you enough people say it, right? Zelensky said this. I don't know if you watched Tucker Carlson's and Zelensky's um uh &gt;&gt; Yeah. The idea was if just enough people say [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] people will believe it. So, keep

[1:00:00] saying it. Keep saying Keep lying. We want Goebbels' propaganda, guys. Keep lying. So, anyway, yeah, let's get to the next one. National center center for medical intelligence. I'm not sure what you guys mean. &gt;&gt; That That's an interesting idea. That's an interesting idea. &gt;&gt; Oh, okay. &gt;&gt; But But how would you how would you ensure independence? Right. It would just be another arm of the deep state. Right. Very true. Very true. So, I think, guys,

[1:00:30] uh we are done with the uh super chat. If you want to send it, send it in like next 5 minutes cuz I'm going to ask John for one last story. And um yeah, cuz I know what story I want. People are going to die laughing. So, guys, we are We have very smart, intelligent men and women at the CIA doing incredible work. They have a sexual problem, though. I want the gonorrhea story.

[1:01:00] Oh, [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] Where do you even begin? You know, we we had this We had this joke at the CIA that when you go into a conference room, don't ever touch the table because you don't know who was having sex on it last night. &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; And it's true. The The deputy director that I worked for Uh-huh. was married five times. And

[1:01:30] every one of his five wives had started off as his secretary. &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; So, it got so bad &gt;&gt; thing for secretaries. I'll tell you. It got so bad Mhm. that in 2000 4 in 2004, the CIA had to send doctors from the Office of Medical Services, OMS, out to Iraq because

[1:02:00] CIA officers were passing around a CIA-specific strain of gonorrhea. It had morphed into its own its own entity &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; where only CIA people had this particular strain of gonorrhea. And they were like, "People, you got to control yourselves. And wear protection, for God's sake." &gt;&gt; [laughter] [gasps] &gt;&gt; How would that be funny? Imagine

[1:02:30] identifying as a CIA officer because they went to bed &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; with gonorrhea? It's just unreal. All right. So, last one here. Um and &gt;&gt; Ah, okay. Jason, I did not know that. I did not know that. And And I I have to tell you, I'm not comfortable with it at all at all. &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; Not at all. National Center for Medical Intelligence is a branch of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Yeah.

[1:03:00] Well, I think we are Well, one more sub. &gt;&gt; Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. It's my favorite my favorite Angry Bird. Oh, I I didn't see it. Sorry. Which one was the Angry Bird? Is it like a super chat? Do you know? &gt;&gt; it's a $1.99 from Triumphant. Thank you for that. What's my favorite Angry Bird? My favorite You know it used to be the black one cuz he explodes. I love him. But now there are a couple of others. There's one that sucks everything and then you can spit it all back out. And then the new white one that spins around

[1:03:30] and knocks everything down. I love that one, too. Although he's weaker than than my other ones because I need some time to build up his strength. I have to I I bought him 35,000 feathers today. John I mean not with money. I I used uh I used my coins to buy uh to buy 35,000 feathers. It's Got to love Angry Birds. It's fascinating that you know this [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] I've never played Angry Birds. Is it a game? I'm sorry. I don't know. I'm addicted. Lizzie Lizzie, I

[1:04:00] have played Angry Birds literally every day without missing a single day No. for and 10 months. &gt;&gt; god. I got to try. It's my only vice. I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't do drugs. &gt;&gt; I got to do something. &gt;&gt; I I I need a new vice. I'm pretty sure like I'm the same way. I don't drink. I don't do drugs. I don't party. I need a vice, guys. Maybe give me an advice what to do. All right. Next one real quick.

[1:04:30] Uh I'm in. I am in. Yes. Set it up. I'll be there. You know my Arabic teacher once asked me if I would get into the ring with Mike Tyson. This is when Mike Tyson was at his peak. Would I get in the ring with Mike Tyson for a million dollars? I said, "Akeed, of course I would." I said, "I would get in the ring with Mike Tyson for $1,000." He's like, "$1,000? Are you nuts?" I said, "No, he's going to hit me one time. He's going to knock me out. &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; I get $1,000."

[1:05:00] You get $1,000 and you got kicked or hit by Mike Tyson, right? &gt;&gt; Exactly. &gt;&gt; There you go. It's a great story. So, you and John Brennan have a have a beef, right? &gt;&gt; we hate each other. We've always hated each other. &gt;&gt; doesn't hate John Brennan? I'm sure you know Do you know that story when a teenager like um I think he hacked John Brennan's Yeah. &gt;&gt; Yes. A British kid. &gt;&gt; John Brennan's freaking phone. Yes. Scared the [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] out of him. You know that story, right? Do you know

[1:05:30] &gt;&gt; Yeah, at first he blamed the North Koreans. It's like, "No, it's some 14-year-old from England." I'm glad I'm glad he didn't blame Russians. Like it's always the freaking Russians. You know, somebody I think we need to clean up something here, John, before we wrap this up. Somebody and I hear this all the freaking time because of Bustamante, Bustamante got what he deserved from me, you know, the [&nbsp;__&nbsp;] officer, like whatever, paperboy I call him. So, um people are saying, "Why do you work for

[1:06:00] Russian channel, blah blah blah?" Explain to them what they did to your career Yeah. and to your family, and the only people who actually gave you something was this channel, right? So, explain to them before we wrap up and then we are done. &gt;&gt; [snorts] &gt;&gt; Yeah, when I got out of prison, as as a term of my release, I had to get a job. It's impossible to get a job, not just with a felony, but with a national security felony.

[1:06:30] And so, um so I I got turned down at Safeway, I got turned down by Uber, by Target and Walmart, and McDonald's. I I worked for 1 day as a baggage handler at the Reagan National Airport, and then they fired me after 1 day cuz they realized I had a national security felony. The Russians offered me a radio show. I turned it down. Uh 6 months later, they offered me the radio show again, and I said, um

[1:07:00] I said, "The only way I would I would take this is if I could say anything I want about anybody I want including Vladimir Putin. They said, "Done." I said, "Would you put that in writing in the contract?" They said, "Yes." And they did. And it on the day of the Russian invasion, I opened my show with I unreservedly condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and I urge Russian troops to withdraw immediately. Even I didn't do that. I did not condemn it

[1:07:30] because, you know, and I'm the free one that's not even paid by anybody other than you, know. So, yeah, so kudos to you and I'm glad you explained that. But the thing is is I could not I have five kids and I still had three kids to put through school. I had to work. &gt;&gt; very vicious ex-wife who would not chill out with court. So, &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; yeah, and I got I got to say something. I don't know if you remember this, John, but for people to know what kind of person you are. So, when I met John, John didn't have anything like platform

[1:08:00] or anything. He was right out of like prison and Yes. This was the toughest, most poor period, right? &gt;&gt; That's That's when we met. Yeah, that's when we met and despite that, guys, John stayed a gentleman and I don't remember John asking me, "You know what? Why don't you take a ride and come see me?" I'm like, "No, I'll pick you up." I remember you came with a Mercedes. Like, was it Mercedes old? Yeah. It's a I I have a I drive a 16-year-old Mercedes. Yeah, so so he never lost this

[1:08:30] this instinct of gentleman. And like I remember he took me out in Virginia. This is later on, but still you you had nothing back then, too. Like took me out to see like Virginia when I was living in DC and like, you know, it's just yeah, he's he's just a very good guy. Thank you very much. Thank you, Lucy. Last question, John, since they sent it and we're done. Does your Arabic still sound good or Yeah, go on. Go on. Bad bad falafel

[1:09:00] sandwich in the city called Atlanta. What do you want me to say? to say? After 30 years I've forgotten the whole language practically. Oh, no. You speak perfect Arabic. &gt;&gt; [laughter] &gt;&gt; All right. Well, tell people where to find you. We already had a demo of your show. Well, we talked about your show. &gt;&gt; Thank you. Yeah. How do we find you? On YouTube it's @realjohnkirikou and I'm on X, I'm on Facebook, I'm on Insta, I'm on

[1:09:30] the Twitter is X. What's the other one? LinkedIn. Instagram, you're on Instagram as well. Instagram, yeah. Yeah, they're all there. So, thank you for that. Thank you. &gt;&gt; Absolutely. I will put down all these links below guys and I will collect John's YouTube afterwards when this goes up as a video and you can click on it and go and see his channel. So, thank you so much John. Thanks everybody. Thanks Lizzie. Always great to see you. Always great. Thank you. Thanks.
