It was a lopsided trade to say the least, particularly because the U.S. They returned to Russia in exchange for four Russian prisoners accused of spying for the West. On June 27, 2010, ten of the Russian spies were quietly rounded up and deported. They decided that it was probably best to quietly “exfiltrate” their informant and deport the Russian agents without informing Medvedev. Obama did not want to embarrass Medvedev and agreed to Gates’ soft-touch proposal.Īfter Obama left the situation room, the advisors deliberated a bit more and agreed that the plan would still put Medvedev in a tight spot. Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered a solution: meet privately with Medvedev and reveal the real names and ranks of the nearly one dozen Russian spies and demand that they be recalled to Russia quietly and immediately. But ignoring the spies or even letting them off the hook presented a dilemma in itself. national security and that punishing Russian spies would “blow up the relationship.”Įveryone agreed that busting the spy ring would blindside Medvedev, who was set to meet with Obama within days. Without a hint of irony, Biden said, “Our national security interest balance tips heavily to not creating a flap.” Obama’s top officials apparently believed that bowing to Russia was in the best interests of U.S.

Biden and Donilon strongly argued in favor of sweeping the illegal spy ring under the rug. Vice President Joe Biden, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, and the “diplomatic players” agreed with the president. On the other side were the White House and the State Department, who wanted to keep the whole thing quiet. Panetta wanted to rescue their informant, a Russian asset who had exposed the domestic spy ring, and Mueller wanted to arrest the Russian sleeper agents. On one side were CIA Director Leon Panetta and FBI Director Robert Mueller. The following is an exclusive excerpt from investigative journalists John Solomon and Seamus Bruner’s new book, Fallout: Nuclear Bribes, Russian Spies, and the Washington Lies that Enriched the Clinton and Biden Dynasties.

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