ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - A judge has rejected claims by a former CIA officer accused of leaking names of covert operatives to journalists that he is a victim of vindictive prosecution.

Continue reading

Lawyers for John Kiriakou sought Friday to have most of the charges against him dismissed.

They argued in court papers that the case is retribution for public statements by Kiriakou that portrayed the CIA in an unflattering light and that similar leaks have not been the subject of a criminal prosecution.

At Friday's hearing, though, the judge cut off the argument before it began and ruled that the prosecution would go forward. Kiriakou was involved in the capture of al-Qaida terrorist Abu Zubaydah, who was waterboarded.

Kiriakou publicly confirmed the waterboarding and expressed conflicting opinions about its effectiveness.