Inside the FBI's Hunt for a Russian Mole | Wayne Barnes

We speak with retired FBI agent Wayne Barnes about his career in counterintelligence, from undercover work with the Black Panthers and a hidden Nixon assassination plot to debriefing Cold War defectors and recruiting Soviet intelligence officers. We also dig into his book A Traitor in the FBI, the hunt for a Russian mole inside the Bureau, and the tradecraft, deception, and lucky breaks that shaped the case.<br />Grab Wayne's book "A Traitor in the FBI: The Hunt for a Russian Mole"<br />https://a.co/d/06ffYkg0<br />Find Wayne here:<br />https://www.waynebarneswriting.com/<br />Today's Sponsors:<br />GhostBed ⬇️<br />https://www.ghostbed.com/house<br />FOR 10% off! <br />Stash ⬇️<br />https://www.stash.com/HOUSE for 15% off your monthly subscription or 30% off your annual subscription.<br />GLD ⬇️<br />https://www.gld.com/<br />code "teamhouse" for 40% your first order<br />Quince⬇️<br />go to: https://www.quince.com/house<br />for free shipping and 365 day returns <br /><br />For ad free video and audio and access to live streams...JOIN OUR PATREON! <br />https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouse<br />To help support the show and for all bonus content including:<br />-live shows and asking guest questions <br />-ad free audio and video<br />-early access to shows<br />-Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests<br />Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️<br />https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse<br />___________________________________________________<br />GRAB JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" <br />⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️<br />https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/<br />Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️<br />https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured<br /><br />Jack Murphy's book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️<br />https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/<br />Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️<br />https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouse<br />Social Media: ⬇️<br />The Team House Instagram:<br />https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_link<br />The Team House Twitter:<br />https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePod<br />Jack’s Instagram:<br />https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_link<br />Jack’s Twitter:<br /> https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21<br />Team House Discord: ⬇️<br />https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6<br />"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"<br />00:00 — Start<br />01:16 — Debriefing Cold War Defectors<br />02:28 — Wayne Barnes’ Origin Story<br />07:13 — Penn State, Villanova, and the Road to the FBI<br />14:08 — Early FBI Career Before Quantico<br />17:39 — The Undercover Black Panther Operation<br />26:38 — The Compton Vetting Test<br />29:52 — Bill Cosby, Backstopping, and the Cover Story<br />31:23 — George H.W. Bush and the UN Recognition Play<br />35:59 — The Hidden Nixon Assassination Plot<br />39:22 — Debriefing Defectors and the CIA-FBI Divide<br />42:49 — Ion Pacepa and the Romanian Intelligence Collapse<br />45:33 — Courtship: CIA and FBI Working Together<br />48:08 — Country Music, Cover Legends, and Recruiting Soviets<br />53:06 — The FBI Mole Hunt Begins<br />59:21 — The Mission: Get a Russian to Identify the Mole<br />01:04:25 — Robert Hanssen, Breach, and What the Movie Missed<br />01:07:03 — Setting the Stage at the Santa Monica Film Festival<br />01:11:17 — Hollywood Help, Polly Platt, and Backstopping Ivan<br />01:20:03 — Staging the First Visual Contact<br />01:25:43 — Who “Ivan” Was and Why He Mattered<br />01:28:58 — The Poolside Setup That Made Contact Possible<br />01:35:35 — Why Cold Pitches Don’t Work<br />01:42:24 — What Happened After Ivan Pointed Out the Photo<br />01:48:38 — Brian Kelley, False Leads, and Dead Drop Maps<br />01:52:52 — Why the Case Almost Disappeared<br />01:58:23 — Robert Redford, Three Days of the Condor, and Real-World Fallout<br />02:06:37 — What Spy Movies Get Wrong<br />02:09:01 — A Traitor in the FBI and Final Thoughts<br /><br /><br />Become a supporter of this podcast: <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss">https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-team-house--5960890/support</a>.