DeProgram with John Kiriakou and Ted Rall

DeProgram with Ted Rall and John Kiriakou: “End Game in Ukraine?”

Nov 24, 2025

A U.S. military delegation arrives in Kyiv, promoting a controversial 28-point peace plan with Russia. Meanwhile, President Zelensky faces a $100 million corruption scandal involving a key ally, sparking public outrage and political upheaval. The discussion dives into whistleblower accountability and the risks of political assets going rogue, highlighting past intelligence failures. With a potential ceasefire on the horizon, the hosts explore the implications for Ukraine's future and the quest for unity amidst turmoil.

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ANECDOTE

Whistleblower Support From Republicans Event

John Kiriakou describes attending a book launch for IRS whistleblowers who exposed Hunter Biden tax issues and being embraced by Republican senators.
He contrasts that support with his isolation after exposing the CIA torture program.

ADVICE

Recruit Early, Keep Leaders On Ice

Recruit assets early and then limit contact once they rise to power to avoid kompromat and exposure.
Use diplomatic channels like ambassadors to maintain indirect intelligence connections safely.

INSIGHT

Why Democrats Lost Their Old Base

Both hosts argue Democrats shifted right by courting corporate money, abandoning labor, and embracing wars of choice.
They view this realignment as the reason Democrats no longer 'stand for' clear principles.

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On the “DeProgram” show with political cartoonist Ted Rall and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou, a high-level U.S. military delegation lands in turmoil-ridden Kyiv, pushing a 28-point peace plan coordinated with Moscow. Zelensky grapples with a $100 million energy sector corruption probe implicating allies. Meanwhile, a FBI whistleblower exposes the Internal Counterespionage Cell's "executive exemption," shielding Senior Executive Service brass from probes into fraud, retaliation, and espionage.

Ukraine's Corruption Scandal and Political Turmoil: Anti-corruption watchdogs unravel a $100 million embezzlement scheme in the energy sector, fingering Zelensky ally Timur Mindich as the mastermind amid nationwide blackouts. Protests erupt in the Rada, toppling two ministers—Justice's German Galushchenko and Energy's Svitlana Hrynchuk—while opposition demands Yermak's ouster and a national unity coalition. Zelensky distances himself, imposing sanctions on Mindich yet dismissing graft as commonplace, fueling fears of deeper regime instability as investigations probe defense and banking ties.

U.S. Military Delegation's Push for Peace: Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll and Gen. Randy George spearhead the highest-ranking Trump-era visit, briefing on a 28-point U.S.-Moscow peace blueprint that mandates halving Ukraine's military and territorial concessions. Zelensky receives the plan, pledging talks with Trump while insisting on unbreakable security, as the delegation secures an "aggressive timeline" for framework signing amid Russian strikes killing 26 in Ternopil. Observers question the scandal's timing, suspecting deliberate pressure on a vulnerable Kyiv to accept capitulation-like terms.

FBI Whistleblower's Counterespionage Exposé: An insider accuses the Internal Counterespionage Cell of shielding SES executives via an unwritten "executive exemption," blocking probes into fraud, retaliation, and espionage despite credible tips from other agencies. Retaliatory transfers punish reporters, with no SES clearances revoked since protocols began, allowing classified hoarding and evidence destruction—including a retired assistant director's untouched leaks. The disclosure highlights decades-long practices spanning directors, contrasting aggressive actions like the 2022 Mar-a-Lago raid while lamenting zero espionage busts post-2001 Hanssen case.