# Patrick Bet-David

> **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: "Patrick Bet-David," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/patrick-bet-david/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*The podcast host whom John Kiriakou described on another programme as a hardcore Zionist and a total backer of Reza Pahlavi, and who then played the clip back to him on air. Kiriakou withdrew the characterisation on the record, one of the few occasions where he has retracted a public statement about a named individual.*

- **How the dispute began:** A clip of Kiriakou describing him on another podcast
- **What Kiriakou had said:** A hardcore Zionist and a 1,000 per cent backer of [Reza Pahlavi](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/reza-pahlavi)
- **The disputed figure:** That 94 per cent of Iranians support overthrowing the regime
- **Kiriakou's response on air:** A full retraction, "I'm sorry that I perpetuated an untruth"
- **Warning he had been given beforehand:** "Be careful. Patrick comes out swinging on Israel"

**Patrick Bet-David** is the podcast host whose confrontation with [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) in April 2026 produced one of the few on-record retractions Kiriakou has made about a named person.

The dispute began with remarks Kiriakou had made on another programme, which Bet-David played back to him at the top of the interview. In the clip Kiriakou describes him as *"a hardcore Zionist"* and, more particularly, as *"a 1,000% backer of [Reza Pahlavi](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/reza-pahlavi) to return to Iran and to assume the Peacock Throne"*; he had also attributed to Bet-David the claim that support for overthrowing the Iranian government stood not at 60 per cent but at 94 per cent.[1]

Bet-David denied having made the 94 per cent claim. Kiriakou did not contest the denial, withdrew the characterisation, and repeated the withdrawal several times over the course of the exchange, *"No, I'm wrong and I apologize"*, closing with an unqualified version: *"you've shown me wrong and I'm sorry that I perpetuated an untruth."*[2][3][4]

## The warning beforehand

Asked whether anyone had cautioned him about the appearance in advance, Kiriakou said yes but declined to name the person, describing him only as a big name: *"He said, oh, you're going on PBD? I said, yeah. He said, be careful. Patrick comes out swinging on Israel."*[5]

## See also

- [Reza Pahlavi](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/reza-pahlavi)
- [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)
- [Israel-United States relations](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/israel-united-states-relations)

## Sources

1. Valuetainment (2026-04-23), at 00:31. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4YyBCvBaj4&t=31s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-04-23-valuetainment-valuetainment/
2. Valuetainment (2026-04-23), at 01:05. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4YyBCvBaj4&t=65s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-04-23-valuetainment-valuetainment/
3. Valuetainment (2026-04-23), at 06:16. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4YyBCvBaj4&t=376s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-04-23-valuetainment-valuetainment/
4. Valuetainment (2026-04-23), at 12:00. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4YyBCvBaj4&t=720s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-04-23-valuetainment-valuetainment/
5. Valuetainment (2026-04-23), at 05:13. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4YyBCvBaj4&t=313s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-04-23-valuetainment-valuetainment/

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