Bush administration captures traitor that had eluded Clintons

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TRAITOR

Yahoo February 21 1:59 AM ET

Authorities Charge FBI Agent with Espionage

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An FBI (news - web sites) counter-intelligence expert was charged with betraying Soviet double agents and selling secrets to Moscow in what experts called one of the worst espionage cases in recent U.S. history.

Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested on Sunday after FBI agents watched him drop off a package of classified information at a park near his northern Virginia home, which was to be picked up by his Russian handlers.

FBI director Louis Freeh said Hanssen, a 25-year FBI veteran, had access to some of the ``most sensitive and highly classified information'' in the U.S. government.

Hanssen, 56, who has six children, was alleged to have been paid $1.4 million by the Russians in cash and diamonds. Prosecutors said he could face a possible death sentence for each of two formal charges laid against him.

Formal charges filed against him at a federal court in Arlington, Virginia on Tuesday related to two incidents toward the end of the Cold War.

One claimed Hanssen made available classified documents to the KGB in March, 1989 and the other said that in October 1985 he betrayed three Russian KGB agents who were also working for the United States.

Freeh said Hanssen's spying continued until his arrest on Sunday with a break in the 1990s. ``The criminal conduct alleged represents the most traitorous actions imaginable against a country governed by the rule of law,'' Freeh said.

No full damage assessment had yet been made, to avoid jeopardizing the investigation, Freeh said, but added: ``We believe it was exceptionally grave.''

Freeh displayed photographs of various drop-off locations used by Hanssen as well as a photograph Freeh said showed a package containing $50,000 in cash which had been waiting for the agent at a pick-up point in a park in Arlington.

Shocked And Surprise

Agents who arrested him said he seemed ``shocked and surprised'' when he was caught because he thought he had been so careful, Freeh said.

Using the code name ``Ramon,'' Freeh said Hanssen provided highly classified information to the KGB and its successor agency, the SVR, using encrypted communication, dead drops and other clandestine techniques.

He said Hanssen independently disclosed the identity of two KGB officials who, first compromised by convicted CIA (news - web sites) spy Aldrich Ames, had been recruited by the U.S. government at the Soviet embassy in Washington.

``When these two KGB officials returned to Moscow, they were tried and convicted on espionage charges and executed,'' Freeh said.

President George W. Bush (news - web sites) said he was deeply disturbed by what he described as ``extremely serious'' allegations.

On a visit to St. Louis, Bush said: ``This has been a difficult day for those who love our country and especially for those who serve our country in law enforcement and the intelligence community.''

Bush said he had the ``utmost confidence'' in Freeh, contrasting with a lukewarm backing by former President Clinton (news - web sites) for the FBI chief, who had overseen a number of investigations against Clinton.

Freeh, who said he was ``saddened and outraged'' by the case, praised his staff for tracking down Hanssen. He announced that former CIA and FBI Director William Webster would conduct a full review to see where security had been breached.

Silent And Solemn

At his arraignment in federal court, Hanssen, dressed in a black turtle neck, black shirt and gray slacks and looking weary, was silent and solemn as the two charges were read out.

Defense lawyer Plato Cacheris said he planned at this stage to plead not guilty, adding that his client was ``emotional'' and quite ``upset'' by the case against him.

Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) said the arrest of Hanssen should remind every American that their country was an ''international target in a dangerous world.''

``In fact espionage operations designed to steal vital secrets of the United States are as intense today as they ever have been,'' Ashcroft told a news conference.

In Moscow, spokesmen for both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Intelligence Service said they had no details on the case and they did not comment on matters of this type.

Freeh said an internal FBI investigation began late last year after an internal intelligence audit revealed the presence of a mole in the agency. The United States then secretly obtained Russian documents that led them to suspect Hanssen.

Hanssen's most recent job has been working out of FBI headquarters in Washington. His previous posts included performing surveillance on Russian government missions to the United States.

He was also assigned to helping the State Department resolve a string of recent security problems, including the discovery of a listening device in a conference room that was monitored by a Russian agent in his car nearby.

Freeh said the complaint against Hanssen did not allege any compromises by him at the State Department. The FBI veteran had, in fact, complained of ``lost opportunities'' to alert his Russian handlers that the FBI found the listening device.

Hanssen is the third FBI agent in history to be arrested on charges of spying for the Russians. The others were Richard Miller, in the mid-1980s, and Earl Pitts, a lawyer who was convicted in the late 1990s.



-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), February 21, 2001

Answers



-- (-@-.-), February 21, 2001.

To be fair, this man had also eluded Bush Sr. and Reagan (he'd been spying for fifteen years). Additionally, this man could not have been caught without the access the FBI gained to KGB records last year, before Bush came into office.

You're really getting desperate for good Bush news, aren't you?

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), February 21, 2001.


Bush said he had the ``utmost confidence'' in Freeh, contrasting with a lukewarm backing by former President Clinton (news - web sites) for the FBI chief, who had overseen a number of investigations against Clinton.

ROFLMAO!

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 21, 2001.


You're really getting desperate for good Bush news, aren't you?

Yeah..since the only news for the past month has been negative Clinton news of his OWN making!

WOW! Talk about spin! Ape are you any relation to James Carville?

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 21, 2001.


This spy was hired by Reagan, because Reagan loved the Russian communists and wanted to help them take over the world.

-- (get your @ facts. straight), February 21, 2001.


Come on, Ain't. Paracelsus is just doing the same thing you've done, posting an article that's neutral and misrepresenting it to be either pro-Bush or anti-Clinton. The only difference is that you've actually been posting Clinton-postive articles the last couple of days and telling bald-faced lies about the content of those articles in your subject line.

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), February 21, 2001.

gotcha, gotcha, gotcha!

-- (Paracelsus@Pb.Au), February 21, 2001.

The only difference is that you've actually been posting Clinton-postive articles the last couple of days...

Really? Which ones?

Was it, this one from today? That speaks of a little quid-pro-quopossibility?

Pardoned con man has connections to Al Gore through one of Al Gore's Florida recount lawyers, sources said (Ain't Gonna Happen, Not Here Not@ever.com, 2001-02-21)

...or was it this one? An obvoius letter of endorsement from that great liberal Jimmy Carter?

Carter: Clinton abused his power - Jimmy doesn't doubt large gifts among factors for 'disgraceful' pardon (Ain't Gonna Happen, Not Here Not@ever.com, 2001-02-21)

or maybe this one...

Still on the PLA payroll! Chinese firm offers Clinton $2 million per year (Ain't Gonna Happen, Not Here Not@ever.com, 2001-02-20)

...after all, we all know what a great Democracy China has been over the years! Ya know, the same country that brought us the Tianamen Square Massacre. The same China that continues to supply toys, games, shoes and almost anything else at rock bottom prices because of the willingness of their prison inmates to do so? The same China that supported Al Gore for president?

...or was it this one that supported Bill by pointing out the planned influence peddling of his half witted 'er half-brother Roger?

FBI: Roger tried to peddle influence - Pardon for Bill's half-brother granted outside Justice review (Ain't Gonna Happen, Not Here Not@ever.com, 2001-02-19)

I dunno Mr. Carville...'er...umm I mean Ape Man. I must be missing ALL the positive Clinton posts I made recently.

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 21, 2001.


gotcha, gotcha, gotcha!

Umm...just who did you umm...get?

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 21, 2001.


This spy was hired by Reagan, because Reagan loved the Russian communists and wanted to help them take over the world.

-- (get your @ facts. straight), February 21, 2001.

Ummm...he was hired in 1975. Lets see...Reagan took office when?

Hmmmmmm....

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 21, 2001.



Most of this spy's damage was done in the 80's, when George Bush Sr. was president. But I bet it's still somehow Clinton's fault!

Seriously, people like Ain't and Paracelsus have developed some sort of fixation on Clinton, one that makes clear thinking difficult and a sense of hypocracy non-existant. Makes for good theater for the rest of us, though!

I think there's a strong possibility of latent... feelings... for Clinton on their part. How 'bout it Ain't, you ready to come out of the closet?

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), February 21, 2001.


You sure are, Ain't. Although you did get the Clinton-as-spokesmodel post, you missed the post you made where Clinton is ranked our 4th greatest president ever, and you missed the one you made where Clinton 's approval rating equals George Bush even though Clinton's been out of office for four weeks.

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), February 21, 2001.

Most of this spy's damage was done in the 80's, when George Bush Sr. was president.

Ummm..Bush Sr. took office 1/20/1989. Jeesh! Do little things like the facts ever come into view BEFORE you speak?

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 21, 2001.


OK, here's what I should have said, anal-ain't:

In the mid-late 80's, when Reagan and Bush senior were president.

He kept it up through three administrations, four terms, and almost into a 5th. But it's Clinton's fault!

And what about your latent... feelings for Clinton, ain't? Has there been diagnosis, or are you still not ready to deal with them yet?

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), February 21, 2001.


Justify how you knew"Most of this spy's damage was done in the 80's,"...

Maybe you can clear that part up a little for me too. 'Eh? Is it clairvoyance? Divine knowledge?

Inquiring minds wanna know!

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 21, 2001.



I think we can forego the ‘blame game’ on this one. This guy was very, very clever and I suspect that he would have gone undetected were it not for some recent intelligence from the Motherland. You may rest assured that there are others like him that will continue to operate until caught, if they ever are.

-- Barry (bchbear863@cs.com), February 21, 2001.

I don't know about Bemused, but I heard an FBI spokesman on CNN this AM saying that the worst damage was done towards the end of the Cold War, which, for those who don't know, was the late '80's.

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), February 21, 2001.

... the worst damage was done towards the end of the Cold War, which, for those who don't know, was the late '80's.

Well...thats still subject one agent's interpretation. Besides Bemused (and_amazed@you.people) said "Most of this spy's damage was done in the 80's,"...

There is still a difference between most and worst.

I'm not sure Bemused (and_amazed@you.people) had much of any idea what he/she wanteed to say but was in a hurry to say it.

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), February 21, 2001.


Tarz, yes the cold war is over but the Russians are hardly our buds. They still have nukes aimed at us (Atlanta for sure) and President Vladimir (Ras) Putin is former KGB.

Heck, everyone spies on the US, even our allies.

-- Lars (larsguy@yahoo.com), February 21, 2001.


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