Report: Suspected Russian spy worked at U.S. embassy in Moscow

The U.S. embassy in Moscow.
(Image credit: Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)

A Russian national suspected of being a spy for the Kremlin worked at the U.S. embassy in Moscow for more than 10 years, The Guardian reports.

The woman was hired by the Secret Service, and in 2016, investigators from the State Department's Regional Security Office performed a routine security check and determined she was having regular unauthorized meetings with members of FSB, the Russian security agency. The woman had access to the Secret Service's intranet and email systems, The Guardian reports, which would have let her see the schedules of current and former presidents and vice presidents, plus their spouses, like Hillary Clinton. A person with knowledge of the matter said she would have been able to gather intelligence without any supervision.

The Regional Security Office notified the Secret Service about the woman in January 2017, but no inquiry was launched. She was dismissed last summer, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Guardian, after her security clearance was revoked by the State Department. The person told The Guardian this incident was never shared with any congressional committees, adding, "A government committee needs to investigate the Secret Service for hiding this breach."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.