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

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

Author: dee takos July 11, 2026 Duration: 2:24:32
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.
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"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"
00:00 — Start
01:16 — Debriefing Cold War Defectors
02:28 — Wayne Barnes’ Origin Story
07:13 — Penn State, Villanova, and the Road to the FBI
14:08 — Early FBI Career Before Quantico
17:39 — The Undercover Black Panther Operation
26:38 — The Compton Vetting Test
29:52 — Bill Cosby, Backstopping, and the Cover Story
31:23 — George H.W. Bush and the UN Recognition Play
35:59 — The Hidden Nixon Assassination Plot
39:22 — Debriefing Defectors and the CIA-FBI Divide
42:49 — Ion Pacepa and the Romanian Intelligence Collapse
45:33 — Courtship: CIA and FBI Working Together
48:08 — Country Music, Cover Legends, and Recruiting Soviets
53:06 — The FBI Mole Hunt Begins
59:21 — The Mission: Get a Russian to Identify the Mole
01:04:25 — Robert Hanssen, Breach, and What the Movie Missed
01:07:03 — Setting the Stage at the Santa Monica Film Festival
01:11:17 — Hollywood Help, Polly Platt, and Backstopping Ivan
01:20:03 — Staging the First Visual Contact
01:25:43 — Who “Ivan” Was and Why He Mattered
01:28:58 — The Poolside Setup That Made Contact Possible
01:35:35 — Why Cold Pitches Don’t Work
01:42:24 — What Happened After Ivan Pointed Out the Photo
01:48:38 — Brian Kelley, False Leads, and Dead Drop Maps
01:52:52 — Why the Case Almost Disappeared
01:58:23 — Robert Redford, Three Days of the Condor, and Real-World Fallout
02:06:37 — What Spy Movies Get Wrong
02:09:01 — A Traitor in the FBI and Final Thoughts

Hosted by Jack Murphy, The Team House is a long-form conversation built around a simple, powerful premise: to understand national security, you need to listen to the people who have been there. This podcast deliberately steps away from the partisan noise, offering a fiercely apolitical space where special operations veterans, intelligence professionals, and frontline reporters can share their experiences and analysis. Many guests here are speaking publicly for the very first time, providing raw, firsthand accounts that you won't find elsewhere. Each episode is a deep dive into the realities of conflict, the nuanced tradecraft of intelligence work, and the underlying geopolitical forces that shape global events. The conversations are detailed, often technical, and always grounded in the lived expertise of the guests. Alongside this main show, the The Team House network includes the sister program Eyes On Geopolitics, hosted by Mick Mulroy, Andy Milburn, and Jason Lyons, which continues the focus on global dynamics with a similarly experienced lens. For listeners seeking substance over soundbites, this podcast delivers complex narratives about modern warfare, espionage, and international relations, told directly by the individuals who have operated within these shadowed worlds. It’s a rare opportunity to hear unfiltered perspectives on the most critical security challenges of our time, making each episode an immersive lesson in the human and strategic dimensions of power.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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