# Presidents and the CIA

> **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: "Presidents and the CIA," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/presidents-and-the-cia/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*John Kiriakou's observation that some presidents actively lead the CIA while others are led around by it — citing George H.W. Bush's ongoing "love affair" with the agency after his 11-month stint as director, and Richard Nixon's close relationship with the CIA, which Kiriakou says was one of the things that brought down his presidency.*

- **Kiriakou's framing:** Some presidents command the CIA; some are led by it
- **George H.W. Bush:** Former CIA director (11 months); kept visiting to "walk the halls," drawing spontaneous applause
- **Richard Nixon:** Close relationship with the CIA — per Kiriakou, one factor in his downfall

**Presidents and the CIA** is [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)'s framing of how different U.S. presidents have related to the agency — some commanding it, others, in his view, led around by it.[1]

George H.W. Bush, who had served as CIA director for only 11 months before becoming president, maintained what Kiriakou calls an ongoing love affair with the agency: he would visit CIA headquarters simply to walk the halls, and staff would spontaneously break into applause at word that *"President Bush is walking the halls."*[1] Kiriakou says Richard Nixon likewise had a close relationship with the CIA — one that Kiriakou identifies as one of the factors that brought down his presidency.[2]

## See also

- [Central Intelligence Agency](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/cia)
- [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)

## Sources

1. Does the CIA Control American Presidents and Media? (2026-01-01), at 07:53. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0dum00g0fs&t=473s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-01-fair-observer/
2. Does the CIA Control American Presidents and Media? (2026-01-01), at 08:24. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0dum00g0fs&t=504s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-01-fair-observer/

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