Former CIA officer John Kiriakou is pitching himself to President Trump as the next U.S. ambassador to Greece, and the p...

Former CIA officer John Kiriakou is pitching himself to President Trump as the next U.S. ambassador to Greece, and the pitch comes with a catch: he'd need a presidential pardon first. Kiriakou, 62, posted on X on October 15 that the ambassadorship was open following Kimberly Guilfoyle's departure and called himself the obvious dark horse candidate. "If you want someone who knows Athens like the back of his hand from hunting terrorists, I'm your guy," he wrote, pointing to his Greek heritage and his time stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Athens from 1998 to 2000 as a counterterrorism operations officer. On his podcast, he laid out the full pitch with a degree of self-awareness. He said Greece deserved an ambassador committed to transparency, then added, "Someone so committed to transparency that he went to prison for telling the American people the truth. Of course, I am talking about myself." He followed that up with: "I am kidding, of course." Kiriakou spent 14 years at the CIA, working extensively on Middle East counterterrorism before his career unraveled. In 2007, he became the first U.S. government official to publicly confirm the CIA used waterboarding on detainees, a disclosure that made him a celebrated figure among civil liberties advocates. He was later convicted and sentenced to 30 months in prison for passing classified information, specifically the identities of two CIA officers, to journalists. Since his release, he has remained publicly active, hosting a podcast and making media appearances. He also noted that his pitch carried some political upside for Trump, saying a bold unconventional appointment could "distract people from the midterm elections." Career diplomat Josh Huck is currently serving as interim chargé d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Athens while the post remains vacant. #Greece #USAmbassador #JohnKiriakou