Kiriakou, who was jailed for an identity leak of an operative involved in torture, said his pursuit of a Trump pardon came up in a meeting with Giuliani last year.
By GADI ZAIGFormer New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, personal attorney to US President Donald Trump, speaks during a news conference about the 2020 U.S. presidential election results held at Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington, US, November 19, 2020.(photo credit: REUTERS/JONATHAN ERNST)
One associate working for former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani told John Kiriakou, a former CIA officer, that a presidential pardon from Trump would cost $2 million, according to a report on Sunday by The New York Times during the final few days of Trump's presidency. Kiriakou was jailed for leaking the identity of an operative involved in torture in 2012. In a meeting last year with Giuliani, he mentioned his pursuit of a Trump pardon, reports The Guardian. According to Kiriakou, when Giuliani went to the restroom, his associate told Kiriakou that a pardon would cost him $2 million, the report said.Upon the inauguration of Joe Biden this coming Wednesday, Trump, the first president to ever be impeached twice, will leave office. As soon as he leaves office, Trump will lose legal protection and potential threats. Questions have arisen regarding whether Trump has the ability to pardon himself. Presidential pardons apply only to federal crimes, not state crimes. Trump has reportedly discussed issuing pre-emptive pardons to himself, Kushner and Giuliani, as reported by The Guardian, which also reported that the president was furious with Giuliani over the failure of almost all lawsuits mounted against election results. This report comes only a few days after Trump refused to pay Giuliani for his failed attempt to alter the results of the 2020 elections, as Giuliani led the legal team that attempted to overturn Trump's defeat.
