Shills LARP. How could they not?
Criminals "maintain their innocence"
Their lawyers pretend their client is not guilty.
People must play games with themselves when they know they are in the wrong. "Everybody does it" it's self-protective of the ego.
The CIA employees make themselves believe that they are doing the right thing. The ends justify the means. They are only following orders. We deserve what we get. You can't make an omelet without scrambling some eggs.
Alone, in their cells, awaiting execution, they will blame everyone but themselves.
I think the best punishment would be for them to wake up every morning for 50 or 60 years, in a cell, remembering daily what they are and why they are in prison, dying slowly, and eventually, coming to God's judgment on them.