Politics in Washington has always been a bit like a high-stakes poker game played in dimly lit bars. Usually, the public only sees the shiny cards on the table, not the frantic betting happening under it. But every so often, a story leaks out that makes everyone stop and stare. That’s basically what happened when the names John Kiriakou and Rudy Giuliani started appearing in the same headlines.
It wasn't about some new policy or a legal trial. It was about a number: $2 million.
If you aren't familiar with the players, John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer. He’s the guy who famously blew the whistle on the agency's waterboarding program and eventually went to prison for it. Rudy Giuliani, of course, was the "America’s Mayor" turned personal attorney to Donald Trump. The intersection of these two men represents one of the weirdest, most controversial footnotes of the Trump era. It’s a tale of backroom deals, expensive hotels, and the murky business of presidential pardons.
The Meeting at the Trump International Hotel
Back in 2020, Kiriakou was a man on a mission. He wanted his life back. Specifically, he wanted a presidential pardon to restore his civil rights and, hopefully, his $700,000 CIA pension that had been stripped away after his conviction. He had already tried the "official" route, which usually involves a long, boring process through the Department of Justice.
But as anyone who has spent a week in D.C. knows, the "official" route is where dreams go to die.
Kiriakou ended up at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. He was there to meet Rudy Giuliani. Now, Kiriakou has been pretty open about how this went down. He describes a scene that sounds more like a movie script than a legal consultation. There was supposedly plenty of alcohol flowing. Giuliani was the gatekeeper to the most powerful man in the world, and Kiriakou was the supplicant.
During the meeting, Giuliani reportedly stepped away to go to the bathroom. That’s when things got interesting.
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According to Kiriakou, one of Giuliani’s associates leaned in. The message was blunt: a pardon was going to cost $2 million.
Honestly, Kiriakou’s reaction was the most human part of the whole story. He laughed. Not because he thought it was a joke, but because the math was ridiculous. He told the associate, basically, "Why would I spend $2 million to get back a $700,000 pension?" It was a terrible investment. He didn't have the money anyway.
Why John Kiriakou and Rudy Giuliani Are Still a Topic Today
You might wonder why we're still talking about a bathroom conversation from years ago. It’s because the story didn't end with Kiriakou’s laughter. In 2023, a massive lawsuit was filed by Noelle Dunphy, a former staffer for Giuliani.
Her allegations blew the doors off the "pardon for pay" rumors.
Dunphy claimed that Giuliani told her he was selling pardons for—you guessed it—$2 million. She even alleged that Giuliani said he would split the money with Trump. Giuliani has denied these claims, calling them "pure fiction," but the coincidence of the $2 million figure appearing in two completely separate accounts is what makes the John Kiriakou and Rudy Giuliani connection so persistent in the news cycle.
It paints a picture of a "shadow" pardon system.
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In the normal world, you apply for clemency and wait years. In this alleged shadow world, you find a friend of a friend and open your checkbook. Kiriakou eventually reported his experience to the FBI, which adds a layer of law enforcement interest to the whole mess. Whether or not money ever actually changed hands for a pardon is still a subject of intense debate and legal scrutiny, but the claim itself has become a symbol of how access is traded in the capital.
The Problem with the $2 Million Price Tag
Let's look at the logistics. If you're a lobbyist, you can get paid to help someone file a pardon application. That’s legal. You can even get paid a lot of money. Kiriakou himself had previously paid a former Trump campaign advisor, Karen Giorno, $50,000 to lobby for him.
But there's a massive, flashing red line between "lobbying" and "buying."
If an associate of the President’s lawyer is asking for seven figures to guarantee a signature, you’ve moved out of the realm of law and into the realm of a felony. The FBI takes a very dim view of people selling access to the Oval Office.
Giuliani has consistently argued that he didn't even work on pardons because it would be a "conflict of interest" with his role as Trump's lawyer. He told The New York Times that while he heard people were offering huge fees, he had "enough money" and wasn't "starving."
The Reality of the "Pardon Broker" Industry
Kiriakou’s story is really just the tip of the iceberg. During the final months of any presidency, there is a literal "pardon palooza." Lobbyists, former aides, and even distant relatives of the President suddenly find their phones ringing off the hook.
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- People with money and a criminal record get desperate.
- People with access get greedy.
- The "official" Pardon Attorney office gets bypassed.
It's a recipe for scandal.
Most people don't realize that the President’s power to pardon is almost absolute. They can pardon whoever they want, for almost any federal crime, and they don't have to explain why. That's why the John Kiriakou and Rudy Giuliani story is so frustrating for many. It suggests that the most sacred "mercy" power in the Constitution might have a price tag attached to it.
Lessons from the Kiriakou-Giuliani Saga
If you’re following this story to understand how power works, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, just because someone asks for money doesn't mean the person at the top knows about it. Washington is full of "hangers-on" who pretend they have more influence than they actually do. They’re called "rainmakers." They wait for it to rain and then claim they made it happen.
However, when multiple people start reporting the same $2 million fee, the "rogue associate" excuse starts to wear thin.
For Kiriakou, the experience was a bitter reminder of why he blew the whistle in the first place. He saw a system that he felt was corrupt, and when he tried to clear his name, he ran right back into a different kind of wall.
If you are looking for actionable insights from this mess, it's pretty simple:
- Document everything. Kiriakou’s ability to recall specific details about the hotel, the drinks, and the timing is why his story had legs.
- The "Official" route is a dead end. If you aren't wealthy or politically connected, the pardon system is statistically broken. Over 10,000 applications are often pending at any given time.
- Check the laws on lobbying. If you ever find yourself in a position where you need federal help, make sure your "consultant" is registered. Anything involving a "success fee" for a pardon is a massive legal red flag.
The drama between John Kiriakou and Rudy Giuliani serves as a case study in the "pay-to-play" culture that many Americans despise. Whether Giuliani was actually in on it or his associates were just freelancing, the damage to the public trust was already done. The story remains a major part of the ongoing legal and political battles surrounding the former administration, and it’s likely to be cited in future investigations into how the pardon power was used—and potentially abused.
To stay informed on this, you should keep an eye on the Dunphy v. Giuliani court filings in New York. That's where the most recent evidence—including alleged audio recordings—is being processed. Understanding the difference between legal lobbying and illegal bribery is the best way to navigate the news coming out of these trials.