Yesterday we all heard the news about the 10 Russian spies who were busted in major cities all across America, and most of us know about the eleventh one busted in Cyprus. This morning Glenn Beck had Brad Thor on, talking about the Russian Spies that were finally outed, and the fact that Brad Thor's new thriller, Foreign Influence: A Thriller (Scot Harvath), just happens to be discussing similar plot lines.
For those who may have missed that story:
U.S. Charges 11 in Russian Spy Case
Published June 29, 2010 | The Wall Street Journal
Federal prosecutors alleged 11 people were spies living secret lives in American communities, from Seattle to Washington D.C., sent years ago to infiltrate U.S. society and glean its secrets.
In an extensive and bizarre affidavit whose details echoed Cold War spy thrillers, the Federal Bureau of Investigation claimed the alleged spies were sent here by the Russian overseas intelligence service known as the SVR — the successor to the Soviet KGB — as early as the mid-1990s, and were provided with training in language as well as the use of codes and ciphers.
Their mission, according to the FBI, was contained in an encrypted 2009 message from Russian handlers in Moscow to one of the defendants that read in part: "You were sent to USA for long-term service trip. Your education, bank accounts, car, house etc. — all these serve as one goal: fulfill your main mission, i.e. to search and develop ties in policy-making circles in U.S. and send Intels [intelligence reports] to" Moscow.
Many details of the alleged plot remained murky late Monday including the main impetus behind the intelligence program.
FBI agents arrested defendants known as Donald Howard Heathfield and Tracey Lee Ann Foley at their Cambridge, Mass., residence on Sunday, according to Christina DiIorio-Sterling, a spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, MyFoxBoston.com reported.
Heathfield and Foley were charged with conspiracy to act as an unregistered agent of a foreign government and conspiracy to commit money laundering. DiIorio-Sterling said the pair appeared briefly in Boston federal court on Monday afternoon and a detention hearing was scheduled for Thursday.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday the U.S. actions are unfounded and pursued "unseemly" goals. It voiced regret that the arrests came even though President Barack Obama has moved to "reset" U.S. relations with Russia.
The U.S. and Russia have sent spies to each other's countries for decades, even in the 20 years since the Cold War ended. Still, the latest allegations come at a time when relations between the U.S. and Russia have been warming; last week, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev visited Mr. Obama in Washington.
U.S. officials view the arrests as one of the biggest disruptions of a foreign intelligence operation in years. But in an age when data on the U.S. are readily available on search engines such as Google, the spy operation seems to have yielded little of value given some of the elaborate methods deployed.
Several of the alleged agents were paired as couples. They had children and lived the typical lives of American suburbanites in such low-key locations such as Rosslyn and Arlington, Va., and Yonkers, N.Y., according to the FBI affidavits. Some reported making contacts with government officials and with an unnamed financier who funded both major political parties.
They used coffee shops, bookstores and street corners to contact handlers, according to the FBI. In January, FBI agents watched as one of the defendants sat with her laptop in a coffee shop in Manhattan waiting for a Russian agent to drive by in a minivan. The agents were monitoring when the Russian agents in the shop and those in the minivan linked their paired computers to communicate.
The FBI alleged that the group communicated with Russian handlers using sophisticated techniques. Some operating in New York used encrypted computers linked via private computer networks to communicate only with specific computers with which they were paired, the FBI said. Others living in New Jersey and Boston used a technique called steganography, in which SVR handlers embedded messages into images on publicly available websites, the FBI said.
Others allegedly posted in Seattle and Boston used radiograms, or coded bursts of data sent by radio transmitters, to communicate, according to the FBI.
The FBI affidavit describes one hand-off of matching orange bags containing cash by "brush pass" while passing on the stairs of the entrance of a train station in the Forest Hills section of Queens, N.Y.
Officials said no secrets were compromised or revealed in the alleged plot, and the spy operation seems to have yielded little of value given some of the elaborate methods deployed. None of the 11 charged by U.S. prosecutors was accused of accessing any classified or sensitive U.S. government information.
Five of the suspects appeared in federal court in Manhattan late Monday, two married couples and a single woman. Robert Baum, a lawyer for one of them, Anna Chapman, argued to U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Ellis that the government had not proved that his client committed a crime in communicating with a Russian government official via computer and accepting a fake passport from an undercover FBI agent posing as a Russian agent.
Mr. Baum said his client, a 28-year-old divorced Russian national who has lived full-time in the U.S. since last year, took the passport to a New York City police precinct instead of passing it along to someone else as she was told to do, showing her innocence. "If we arrested and charged criminal acts against everyone who communicates with a government official by computer, we wouldn't have room enough in the jails," he said.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Farbiarz said Ms. Chapman's repeated interactions with the alleged Russian official, captured on video, and her dialogue with the undercover FBI agent showed she was a trained agent who took direction from Russia. She went to different locations at least 10 times on Wednesdays to connect with a Russian official by computer via a closed wireless network, he said.
FBI agents spent years monitoring the alleged agents, in some cases using undercover U.S. agents posing as Russian officials to meet some of them. They arrested 10 of the 11 in New York, Boston and northern Virginia in recent days—one is at large—in part because at least one of the group was preparing to permanently return to Russia, said a person familiar with the matter.
The case grew from a years-long FBI investigation focused on Russian espionage capabilities in the U.S since the breakup of the once-formidable spying operation of the former Soviet Union.
Among those arrested was Vicky Pelaez, a writer for the Spanish-language newspaper El Diario in New York. According to a professional biography for Ms. Pelaez, she is Peruvian-born. How she allegedly came to be involved with an alleged Russian spy ring was unclear.
The FBI affidavit said she traveled to an unnamed South American country to pick up cash for fellow agents in Yonkers sent by SVR handlers and to pass on messages. In one 2002 trip, Ms. Pelaez brought back $80,000 stuffed into her luggage—eight bags each containing $10,000,, according to the FBI. An attorney for Ms. Pelaez couldn't be reached.
The FBI said that the apparent ringleader of the group, Christopher Metsos, an alleged Russian agent who lives overseas and who remains at large, buried a large amount of cash in upstate New York, which two years later other defendants living in Seattle flew to New York to dig up. In one September, 2009, meeting, videotaped by FBI agents, two of the alleged agents met in a park in the Fort Greene neighborhood, Brooklyn, N.Y., to hand of a $150,000 in cash inside a bag, and a flash memory card that had been provided by Russian official weeks earlier, according to the FBI affidavit.
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Ex-Spy Says Russia May Have 50 Undercover Couples in the U.S.
Published June 29, 2010 | Associated Press
MOSCOW -- One of the Cold War's most famous defectors says Russia may have as many as 50 deep-cover couples spying inside the United States.
Oleg Gordievsky, a former deputy head of the KGB in London who defected in 1985, said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev would know the number of illegal operatives in each target country.
The 71-year-old ex-double agent told The Associated Press in a phone interview Tuesday that, based on his experience in Russian intelligence, "there's usually 40 to 50 couples, all illegal."
"The president will know the number, and in each country how many — but not their names," said Gordievsky, who said he spent nine years working in the KGB directorate in charge of illegal spy teams.
The FBI announced Monday the arrests of 10 alleged deep-cover Russian agents after tracking the suspects for years. They are accused of attempting to infiltrate U.S. policymaking circles while posing as ordinary citizens. All 10 are charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government without notifying the U.S. attorney general — an offense that carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
An 11th person allegedly involved in the Russian spy ring was arrested Tuesday in Cyprus.
Russia officials called the arrests an unjustified throwback to the Cold War, and senior lawmakers said some in the U.S. government may be trying to undercut President Barack Obama's warming relations with Moscow.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it was regrettable that the arrests came amid Obama's push for a "reset" in Russian-U.S. ties.
"These actions are unfounded and pursue unseemly goals," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "We don't understand the reasons which prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to make a public statement in the spirit of Cold War-era spy stories."
When asked if those arrested were Russian spies, the Russian Foreign Ministry and the foreign intelligence service refused to comment.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that U.S. authorities announced the arrest just days after Medvedev had visited the United States and met Obama at the White House.
"They haven't explained to us what this is about," Lavrov said at a news conference during a trip to Jerusalem. "I hope they will. The only thing I can say today is that the moment for doing that has been chosen with special elegance."
Medvedev stopped by Washington last week after visiting high-tech firms in California's Silicon Valley. The two presidents then went out for cheeseburgers, exchanged jokes and walked together in the park.
Countries often have a number of intelligence officials whose identities are declared to their host nation, usually working in embassies, trade delegations and other official posts.
Gordievsky said he estimates there are 400 declared Russian intelligence officers in the U.S., and likely 40 to 50 couples charged with covertly cultivating military and diplomat officials as sources of information. He said the complexity involved in training and running undercover teams means Russia is unlikely to have significantly more operatives than during his career.
"I understand the resources they have, and how many people they can train and send to other countries," Gordievsky said. "It is possible there may be more now, but not many more, and no more than 60."
The ex-KGB official said deep cover spies often fail to deliver better intelligence than their colleagues who work in the open. "They are supposed to be the vanguard of Russian intelligence," Gordievsky said. "But what they are really doing is nothing, they just sit at home in Britain, France and the U.S."
Nikolai Kovalyov, the former chief of the main KGB successor agency, the Federal Security Service, said some of the U.S. charges against the alleged spies resembled a "bad spy novel."
Kovalyov, now a lawmaker, said the arrests were an attempt by some "hawkish circles" in the United States to demonstrate the need for a tougher line toward Moscow. Kovalyov added that Russian-U.S. ties will continue to improve despite the spy scandal. "Our two great powers must stand together," he said.
Some lawmakers suggested a tit-for-tat Russian response, but Kovalyov said Russia would reciprocate only "if the American don't stop at that and risk evicting our diplomats," the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
Other senior Russian lawmakers also alleged that some in the U.S. government resented warmer ties with Russia. "This was initiated, was done by certain people of certain political forces, who aren't in favor of improving relations between Russia and the United States, and I feel deeply sorry about that," Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house, the State Duma, told The Associated Press Television News.
"Not all of them support Obama's policy," Mikhail Grishankov, a deputy head of the Duma's security affairs committee told AP. "There are forces interested in tensions."
Viktor Kremenyuk, a deputy head of the U.S. and Canada Institute, a Moscow-based think-tank, said the spy case could threaten a planned ratification of a new nuclear arms reduction deal signed by Obama and Medvedev in April.
"That may change the atmosphere, that may change the attitudes among Americans toward Russia, (and) that may cause very significant political consequences," Kremenyuk said.
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You have to wonder about the timing. Why now? Was the timing of the busts a distraction from his efforts to take control of the Internet, or the BP debacle, like Bill Clinton lobbing missiles at Afghanistan during the Lewinsky scandal? To distract us from the Kagan nomination? Or was the timing out of the WHO's (White House Occupant's) hands (this is an unlikely scenario)? Was it something else? Obviously, we don't know the answer to that.
However, this brings to the forefront the reality that other nations have agents, perhaps hundreds of them, per world power, among us, awaiting orders, just like we did in Poland and elsewhere, helping to bring down the Soviet Empire. They're now ready to do the same to us. When it comes tumbling down, it will happen virtually overnight. Logic would dictate that on some future Friday evening it will begin, and before the following weekend arrives, the fundamental transformation will be complete, and we will no longer be able to communicate nationally.. WE MUST TURN TO GOD! Without HIM, things will NOT end well for us!
Posted by Jared Law on June 29, 2010 at 11:25am in Activism/Events – 912 Project -We the People
Spies among us?
News broke yesterday about 11 Russian deep cover spies found operating in America - some even had children together to improve their cover story. Glenn talks to fiction thriller author Brad Thor about the latest developments, including that one of the spies may have been an Op-Ed columnist. Check out the interview on radio today. ( Transcript, Insider Audio)
Insider Extreme members can catch the rest of the interview in hour 3 and Brad's appearance on today's 4th Hour on demand.
Obama 'most radical president ever'
Glenn recommends you check out the blog NewZeal, which has some amazing video clips posted up on the site today. One is of Dr. Richard L. Rubinstein, Yale fellow, "Distinguished Professor of the Year", and Harvard Phd, who states that president Obama wants to "correct the historical mistake of the creation of the state of Israel" and goes on to call him the most radical president ever. Will the left listen to THIS intellectual? Glenn has the audio on radio today. ( Transcript, Insider Audio)
Obama Welcomes Russia – Progress in Medvedev Visit… Lunching Out Even Though Obama Knew Russia Was Spying On Us?!? Hmmm?
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says that by any measure he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev "have made significant progress and achieved concrete results."
He said their discussions would have been unlikely just 17 months ago when Obama took office.
Obama spoke during a joint press conference with Medvedev in the East Room on Thursday.
The press conference followed a morning of private talks between the two leaders and their administrations. It was their seventh meeting since Obama took office.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP)—The Obama administration welcomed Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the White House on Wednesday and played up warmer relations with the former Cold War adversary, though foreign policy disputes linger.
Out of media view, Medvedev arrived at the White House on a sweltering summer morning for an Oval Office meeting with President Barack Obama and talks with U.S. and Russian officials in the Cabinet Room. The leaders, holding their seventh meeting since Obama took office 17 month ago, then planned to address reporters.
The leaders snuck away for a bite to eat at a popular hamburger joint across the Potomac River—Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Va., where Obama took Vice President Joe Biden last year. Customers cheered when the two walked in.
U.S. officials are pointing to signs that efforts to start fresh with Moscow have delivered results, from Russian support for new penalties against Iran to the signing of a major nuclear treaty.
Conservative critics see Obama as too conciliatory to Russia and say he hasn't resolved disputes over issues such as Moscow's human rights record, missile defense and Moscow's tensions with neighboring Georgia. They charge that by speaking softly on those issues, the United States is compromising its influence among Russia's neighboring countries.
"We are paying a huge price for the reset policy," says Ariel Cohen of the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Administration officials say they have stood their ground on disagreements with Russia but have shifted the tone away from conflict, which they say is a sign of a maturing relationship.
Obama and Medvedev want to expand their countries' limited levels of trade, and were expected to sign joint statements on cooperation. Russia has the world's eighth-largest economy but ranks 25th among U.S. trading partners.
"The true significance of Medvedev's visit is that it brings us closer to a relationship that doesn't require Cold War-style summits to sustain itself," says Sam Charap, a Russia analyst at the Center for American Progress. "The lack of headlines is actually a sign of progress."
Also expected to come up were nuclear threats in Iran and North Korea, arms control and unrest in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.
Medvedev later was to attend a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event.
Ahead of a trip to Canada for a G-20 summit, Medvedev began his U.S. visit in California, where he toured Silicon Valley high-tech firms as part of his push to establish a high-tech center in Russia.
Russia has drawn closer to the Obama administration, first with the agreement to reduce the two countries' stockpiles of nuclear weapons and then in helping pass new U.N. sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
But disputes remain, from missile defense to the legacy of the Russia-Georgia war of 2008.
Associated Press writer Ben Feller contributed to this report.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Cisco commits $1B in meeting with Russian Leader
Washington Times - EDITORIAL: Obama Surrenders Gulf Oil to Moscow
In the Washington Times article, there is documented evidence of a clear plan to deliver to Russia and others the Lease Rights to explore and drill for Gulf of Mexico Oil as is described by, “The Obama administration is poised to ban offshore oil drilling on the outer continental shelf until 2012 or beyond. Meanwhile, Russia is making a bold strategic leap to begin drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. While the United States attempts to shift gears to alternative fuels to battle the purported evils of carbon emissions, Russia will erect oil derricks off the Cuban coast.
Offshore oil production makes economic sense. It creates jobs and helps fulfill America’s vast energy needs. It contributes to the gross domestic product and does not increase the trade deficit. Higher oil supply helps keep a lid on rising prices, and greater American production gives the United States more influence over the global market.”
More importantly and of significant interest in terms of US Strategic Policy is the following from the article; “Russia more sensibly views energy primarily as a strategic resource. Energy is critical to Russia’s economy, as fuel and as a source of profit through export. Russia also has used energy as a coercive diplomatic tool, shutting off natural gas piped to Eastern Europe in the middle of winter to make a point about how dependent the countries are that do business with the Russians.”
Now Russia is using oil exploration to establish a new presence in the Western Hemisphere. It recently concluded four contracts securing oil-exploration rights in Cuba’s economic zone in the Gulf of Mexico. A Russian-Cuban joint partnership will exploit oil found in the deep waters of the Gulf.” Additional Source
Russia to Deliver Armored Vehicles to Palestinians
Tehran Wants Answers on S-300 Program
This story and its tentacles keep reaching further and further. We are being had America… and our country is being dismantled and literally given away.
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