Robert Hanssen, former FBI agent convicted of spying for Russia, dead at 79
CBSMAY 2023
The story of Hanssen explains less about Russian espionage than it does American incompetence. Now holding an abysmal espionage record in post-Soviet Russia, it's thanks to the likes of Hanssen that an entire portfolio of CIA and FBI spies were found and rounded up, with America never fully recovering from the blow to its credibility.
A surprisingly devout and conservative family man, Hanssen's ruthlessly efficient espionage has been deemed by many as one of the worst intelligence disasters in US history. A story of shocking betrayal, becoming one of America's most notorious criminals, his death within the maximum-security complex is an inglorious end to a life of treachery.