In reading some of the coverage about the arrest this week of 11 Russian spies operating under deep cover, one question seems to be unanswered:
Why now? The FBI was on to them for a decade or so. They were carrying out covert searches of safe deposit boxes in 2001. There is no allegation that the spies were any threat or passing any classified information.
So why roll up the network now?
Sunday funnies
35 minutes ago
3 comments:
Probably to compete with the TV coverage of the coming mayhem in Iran?
Noooo. I don't believe it either. Right. Not from this crowd certainly.
However, what are all those US warships doing gathered together over there for some type of "game?"
Thanks for asking the obvious question that I'm sure most of us thought of immediately yesterday when we heard the "old spy" news.
S
This tells me these roundups aren't purely for political brownie points, because I don't see the Chimperor giving up that opportunity.
Perhaps the FBI surveiled enough to come to the conclusion that they just wouldn't learn anything new from watching these people.
I'd have been much more amused if the story had been about "spies and saboteurs from some unknown country" and Russia had loudly replied, "they aren't spies, and they never had orders to sabotage!"
But it's still a little funny how loudly they protest.
My alternate theory: The Russian Mafiya.
Look, organized crime and government basically merge in modern Russia. Most politicians are mobbed up big-time, and use the Mafiya as their enforcers and in exchange give the Mafiya protection. Industrial espionage is a common occurrence, Mafiya agents infiltrate companies and steal corporate secrets to sell to the Chinese or otherwise profit themselves.
My guess? These guys infiltrated a company owned by a major Democratic Party fundraiser, and were on the verge of shoveling some corporate secrets over the transom that would result in unacceptable damage to that corporate entity. Remember, in today's government the bidness of guvment is bidness...
- Badtux the Crime Penguin
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