Topic: Abu Zubaydah

John Kiriakou explains how the CIA "recruits" new presidents by drawing them into highly classified briefings to gain their loyalty. He details the history of waterboarding, noting it was a death penalty offense in 1946 and led to prison sentences in 1968, yet was magically deemed legal by the Bush administration in 2002. Kiriakou's break with the agency began when he refused to be trained in these illegal techniques following the capture of Abu Zubaydah.

John Kiriakou recounts the capture of Abu Zubaydah in Pakistan and his immediate conflict with a subordinate who insisted on hooding prisoners in violation of the Geneva Convention. Kiriakou was later reprimanded for his "lack of commitment to counterterrorism" after refusing torture training. Despite his success in capturing high-level targets, he was mocked within the agency as "the human rights guy."