# There are denials and then there are denials

> **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: "There are denials and then there are denials," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/there-are-denials-and-then-there-are-denials/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*John Kiriakou's rule for reading official statements — that 'we have no such plans' is not a denial, because nothing counts as a plan until a head of government signs off on it, leaving a government free to discuss and even prepare something it can still credibly say it has no plans for.*

- **The formula at issue:** 'We have no such plans'
- **Why it is not a denial:** Nothing is a plan until the prime minister has signed off
- **What it leaves open:** Working on it, and even having plans, while denying a plan
- **Where it arose:** Islamabad''s response to reports of Pakistani peacekeepers for Gaza
- **His aside on Pakistan:** 'Probably the most rumour-tastic country in the world'

**There are denials and then there are denials** is a rule of interpretation [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) applies to government statements, set out in October 2025 when Islamabad rejected reports that [Pakistani troops might be sent to Gaza](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/pakistani-troops-for-gaza).

The distinction is between a denial that closes a question and one that does not. *"There are denials, and then there are denials. And this is not a denial denial."*[1]

What Islamabad had issued was the second kind: *"we have no such plans — which of course means you could be working on it, indeed have plans, but you can still credibly say, until you've pulled the trigger and the prime minister has signed off, it's not really a plan. It's just something we're discussing."*[1][2]

Kiriakou agreed the reading was correct and added a caution against over-reading the reports in the other direction: *"of course, Pakistan's probably the most rumour-tastic country in the world."*[2]

## See also

- [Pakistani troops for Gaza](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/pakistani-troops-for-gaza)
- ["Admit nothing, deny everything, make counter-accusations"](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/admit-nothing-deny-everything)
- [Venezuela boat strikes](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/venezuela-boat-strikes)
- [Suggested responses](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/suggested-responses)
- ["Take our word for it"](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/take-our-word-for-it)

## Sources

1. DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “Gaza-istan?” (2025-11-01), at 17:12. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7-d0Y6eESc&t=1032s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-11-01-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra-deprogram-with-ted-rall-and-john-kiriakou-gaz/
2. DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “Gaza-istan?” (2025-11-01), at 17:42. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7-d0Y6eESc&t=1062s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-11-01-deprogram-show-with-ted-ra-deprogram-with-ted-rall-and-john-kiriakou-gaz/

---

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