# Gary Johnson

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "Gary Johnson," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/gary-johnson/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*The former Republican governor of New Mexico and Libertarian nominee for president who wrote to John Kiriakou in prison, wrote separately to Attorney General Eric Holder asking that he be released — a letter Kiriakou learned of only later through a Freedom of Information Act request — and telephoned him within days of his coming home.*

- **Office:** Governor of New Mexico (Republican)
- **Presidential runs:** [Libertarian Party](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/libertarian-party) nominee, 2012 and 2016
- **Contact with Kiriakou:** Letter to [FCI Loretto](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/fci-loretto); letter to Attorney General Eric Holder
- **2016 campaign:** Kiriakou travelled with him to as many as 20 states

**Gary Johnson**, the former Republican governor of New Mexico and the [Libertarian Party](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/libertarian-party)'s nominee for president in 2012 and 2016, is the politician [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) credits with the single most unexpected kindness of his imprisonment.

## The letter to Loretto

Kiriakou had voted for Johnson in 2012 — the last election in which he was allowed to vote — because he believed in what Johnson was saying.[1] Two or three weeks into his sentence at [FCI Loretto](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/fci-loretto), a letter arrived from him. Kiriakou describes it as the loveliest letter: Johnson had followed the case, thought he had been screwed, and wanted to offer his support. Kiriakou wrote back to say he was a supporter, had voted for him, and was grateful for the kindness of paying attention.[2][1]

## The letter Kiriakou did not know about

What Johnson did not mention was that he had also written to Attorney General Eric Holder — *"what's wrong with you, let this man go home so at least he can work and support his family."* Kiriakou learned of it only afterwards, through a Freedom of Information Act request, and calls it a very generous thing to have done.[3][2]

## The call home, and the campaign

When Kiriakou got out, the first telephone call he received from anyone who was not a close friend or relative was from Johnson, welcoming him home — and asking him to join the board of directors of the Libertarian Party.[4] Johnson was running again, hoped for his support, and got it: *"Governor, I am with you all the way."*[5]

Kiriakou campaigned with him across the west and midwest — twelve, eighteen or twenty states depending on the telling — from Kalamazoo to Anchorage, in the weeks before the 2016 election.[5][6] Johnson asked him to write a *Washington Post* op-ed setting out how they intended to win Utah and New Mexico; the polls had them at 23 per cent in Utah and they finished around 11, with about 3 per cent nationally.[6][7]

It was on that campaign that Johnson gave Kiriakou the explanation for third-party failure he has repeated ever since — that the Libertarians simply have no benefactor.[8][9]

## A fellow traveller who turned out to be an informant

One acquaintance from the 2016 campaign trail later became a complication. Kiriakou notes, in the interest of transparency, that he travelled for several months with Patrick Byrne, the Overstock chief executive and libertarian fellow traveller, whom he liked and had no idea was at the time secretly an FBI informant.[10]

## Twelve states, and no illusions

Asked in 2025 whether he had always supported Donald Trump, Kiriakou's answer starts elsewhere: *"I was actually a supporter of Gary Johnson's when Donald Trump first ran."* The reason he gives is a general one — *"Ronald Reagan was right when he said that government is the problem, it's not the solution to the problem"* — and the commitment was substantial. *"I campaigned in 12 states with Gary. I introduced him at all of his campaign stops."*[11][12]

He was under no illusion about the outcome, and grades it on a scale of its own: *"I knew that he wasn't going to win. He did really great by libertarian standards. He got three and a half percent."*[12]

## See also

- [The Libertarian Party](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/libertarian-party)
- [FCI Loretto](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/fci-loretto)
- [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)

## Sources

1. The Legal Power Hour - with Guest: John Kiriakou (2017-09-05), at 31:39. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87STIG3TpY&t=1899s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2017-09-05-stack-the-legal-odds-in-yo-the-legal-power-hour-with-guest-john-kiriakou/
2. John Kiriakou & Brian Ross — Doing Time Like a Spy (2017-05-17), at 37:00. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iSfm1yeJUA&t=2220s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2017-05-17-strand-book-store/
3. The Legal Power Hour - with Guest: John Kiriakou (2017-09-05), at 32:10. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87STIG3TpY&t=1930s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2017-09-05-stack-the-legal-odds-in-yo-the-legal-power-hour-with-guest-john-kiriakou/
4. John Kiriakou & Brian Ross — Doing Time Like a Spy (2017-05-17), at 37:32. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iSfm1yeJUA&t=2252s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2017-05-17-strand-book-store/
5. The Legal Power Hour - with Guest: John Kiriakou (2017-09-05), at 32:42. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t87STIG3TpY&t=1962s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2017-09-05-stack-the-legal-odds-in-yo-the-legal-power-hour-with-guest-john-kiriakou/
6. Unfiltered With S.A.M. (2026-05-07), at 41:20. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSDydqdERPQ&t=2480s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-05-07-unfiltered-with-s-a-m-unfiltered-with-s-a-m/
7. Unfiltered With S.A.M. (2026-05-07), at 42:30. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSDydqdERPQ&t=2550s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-05-07-unfiltered-with-s-a-m-unfiltered-with-s-a-m/
8. Action 4 Assange (2020-05-20), at 17:48. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mIoBeXrB_0&t=1068s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2020-05-20-action-4-assange-action-4-assange/
9. Action 4 Assange (2020-05-20), at 18:19. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mIoBeXrB_0&t=1099s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2020-05-20-action-4-assange-action-4-assange/
10. Ep 5050 — Deep State's Search for a 'Russiagate' Scalp (2019-09-08), at 02:37. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke04A5kj9PU&t=157s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2019-09-08-scott-horton-ep-5050-deep-state-s-search-for-a-russiagate/
11. title doesn't name John — confirm presence (2025-06-01), at 0:00. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r560eBIwWE&t=0s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-06-01-stephen-gardner-title-doesn-t-name-john-confirm-presence/
12. title doesn't name John — confirm presence (2025-06-01), at 0:31. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r560eBIwWE&t=31s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-06-01-stephen-gardner-title-doesn-t-name-john-confirm-presence/

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From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/gary-johnson/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt