John Kiriakou & Bradley Manning, Prisoners of Truth

Dear Mr. President,

Yesterday in a Federal District Court in Alexandria, VA, Judge Leonie Brinkema sentenced John Kiriakou to 2½ years in prison for disclosing the identity of a covert CIA agent to a reporter in 2007, a violation of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act. Even though the reporter never revealed the agent’s name and it only appeared publicly in October 2012 on an obscure web site, and even though Kiriakou said he was unaware the agent was still covert when he disclosed his name, Judge Brinkema declared it had caused the agency serious damage and thought the sentence way too light but honored the plea deal made between Kiriakou and federal prosecutors. Anyone who has followed Kirakou’s story understands the “damage” caused to the CIA was not the disclosure of the agent’s name but the disclosure and subsequent condemnation of the CIA’s use of torture—specifically, waterboarding—when interrogating prisoners. Disclosure threatens the secret state of violence, brutality and lawlessness that permits those in power to use any means to any ends they desire with impunity, what Cheney called, “going to the dark side.” Transparency is the shield that protects a democracy and its citizens from the abuse of power and it is what your administration fears most. As I read the article in this morning’s NYT, I thought about Scooter Libby who, 2 years before Kiriakou, also revealed the name of a covert CIA agent, Valerie Plame, and then lied to investigators in a cover-up. Libby was also sentenced to 2½ years in prison but Scooter had friends in high places—namely his boss, Cheney—and Bush commuted his sentence so The Scooter never had to do jail time. Bruce Riedel, who you appointed to lead a review of U.S. policies in Afghanistan, sent you a letter signed by many others—including former CIA officers—asking you to commute Mr. Kiriakou’s sentence. I too, urge you to do so, but I’m betting you won’t. You’ve shown no mercy in your first 4 years and little indication so far that you’ve changed, in spite of all the Hope resulting from your inaugural address. But in case you have had a change of heart, I also urge you to direct the U.S. military to drop all charges against Bradley Manning and order his immediate release and, in a double ceremony, award both Manning and Kiriakou the Medal of Freedom. How is it that the perpetrators of violence and torture and war crimes go free while the patriots who expose them, who believe in freedom and justice are punished?