# FBI breaks up alleged Russian spy ring

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-breaks-up-alleged-russian-spy-ring/544859>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [June 28, 2010, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-breaks-up-alleged-russian-spy-ring/544859 "2010-06-28T23:30:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 3

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-breaks-up-alleged-russian-spy-ring/544859/41 "2010-07-07T18:40:49Z")

</div>

And now the other shoe drops: [Russia is floating the idea of a spy exchange](http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/07/07/russia.swap.possibility/index.html?hpt=T2). Could this be the ultimate reason for why the FBI spent so much effort monitoring these folks? I’m not sure; you’d think that they would’ve been arrested earlier if the US wanted back their intel folks, but you never can tell.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-breaks-up-alleged-russian-spy-ring/544859/42 "2010-07-07T23:58:15Z")

</div>

Yep, making more sense now.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-breaks-up-alleged-russian-spy-ring/544859/43 "2010-07-09T22:23:30Z")

</div>

[And it’s done](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070901956.html). According to the article, the White House contemplated the spy swap as far back as Jun 11th, and it was the US who first provided the names of the four individuals it wanted released.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-breaks-up-alleged-russian-spy-ring/544859/44 "2010-07-09T22:51:58Z")

</div>

I can’t see any way this choreography wasn’t agreed between Obama and Medvedev 2 1/2 weeks ago at the meetigs in DC.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-breaks-up-alleged-russian-spy-ring/544859/45 "2010-07-10T01:17:15Z")

</div>

I disagree entirely. Obama’s lived in Chicago long enough. I can totally see him keeping his poker-face on during the meetings to avoid any chance of tipping off the spies.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-breaks-up-alleged-russian-spy-ring/544859/46 "2010-07-10T14:29:35Z")

</div>

Why would he even want to - he’s trying to build a relationship, not make the guy look stupid?

[Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-breaks-up-alleged-russian-spy-ring/544859.md?page=2)