Inside the FBI's top-secret investigation into Russia
The FBI has 15 to 20 agents working on a top-secret probe into Russia's potential election meddling, government officials familiar with the matter told CNN. In an article published Friday, CNN detailed the inner workings of the FBI's Counterintelligence Division, the "super-secret world" that is home to the bureau's "spy catchers." The Counterintelligence Division — referred to as simply "CD" by bureau employees — handles high-level intelligence work, including protecting state secrets and keeping weapons of mass destruction out of hostile hands.
The Russia probe hinges around how the Russian government affected last year's presidential election — if at all — and whether the speculation over improper contact between President Trump's team and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak truly amounts to any concrete, improper behavior. The level of confidentiality is so high at CD that one agency source declined even to specify how many agents are working on the FBI's Russia investigation, resorting instead to a "mathematical equation to divulge ... the number of agents assigned to the matter," CNN explained.
Investigations conducted by the Counterintelligence Division can take years, and one former CD supervisor told CNN the work requires an extreme dedication to secrecy. "My wife knew where I worked. She did not really know what I did," the source said. "You're working in the shadows. You don't want to be noticed."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Read more about the FBI's top-secret investigators at CNN.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Today's political cartoons - December 22, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - the long and short of it, trigger finger, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 hilariously spirited cartoons about the spirit of Christmas
Cartoons Artists take on excuses, pardons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Inside the house of Assad
The Explainer Bashar al-Assad and his father, Hafez, ruled Syria for more than half a century but how did one family achieve and maintain power?
By The Week UK Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published