Join us in welcoming Liz Wiehl as she discusses her inside story of the FBI and Russia's most damaging spy with Dr. David Charney!
About A Spy In Plain Sight:
On February 18th, 2001, Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage on behalf of the intelligence services of the former Soviet Union. His espionage was described by the Department of Justice as “the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history.” Now, legal analyst for NPR, NBC, and CNN Lis Wiehl delves into the facts of this fascinating case in A Spy in Plain Sight: The Inside Story of the FBI and Robert Hanssen—America’s Most Damaging Russian Spy.
As a federal prosecutor and the daughter of an FBI agent, Wiehl has a remarkable insider’s perspective on Hanssen’s case. Her research includes exclusive interviews with numerous FBI and CIA agents, both past and present, as well as the people closest to Hanssen—his brother-in-law, his oldest and best friend, and even his psychiatrist. In all her conversations, Wiehl tries to figure out how he did it—and at what cost.
In addition to unpacking the thrilling true crime story of Hanssen’s espionage, Wiehl also explores the mechanisms and politics of our national security apparatus and how they make us vulnerable to precisely this kind of threat. Could there be another spy in the system? Could the presence of a spy be an even greater threat now, with the growing prominence of cyber security? These questions are urgently relevant to the United States’ national security today.
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Author: Lis Wiehl is one of the nation’s most prominent trial lawyers and highly regarded commentators. She is a regular commentator for CNN and appears often on CBS, NPR, and other news outlets. For fifteen years, she was a legal analyst and reporter on the Fox News Channel. Prior to that she was the co-host on the nationally syndicated show The Radio Factor. She was also a tenured law professor at the University of Washington School of Law, in Seattle. Prior to joining the Fox News Channel in New York City, Wiehl served as a legal analyst and reporter for NBC News and NPR’s All Things Considered. Before that, Wiehl served as a Federal Prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office. Wiehl earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Master of Arts in Literature from the University of Queensland. Wiehl is also the author of over nineteen books.
Dr. David Charney has practiced psychiatry in Alexandria for over 47 years. Originally from New York City, he attended medical school in Syracuse, NY, interned there, and then returned to New York City for his three years of psychiatric residency. After his training years, he joined the United State Air Force in 1972, assigned first to the Strategic Air Command Base in Plattsburgh, New York. While in the Air Force, Dr. Charney got his first exposure to the intelligence community and was fascinated by it. Through fortunate twists, he eventually became a referral consultant to the Central Intelligence Community, which served as his immersion in the field of intelligence.
On behalf of the Legal Defense Team headed up by Plato Cacheris, Dr. Charney analyzed Robert Hanssen when he was imprisoned at the Alexandria Detention Center. He wrote two more white papers which address the questions of not just why someone crosses the line but also what to do to better manage the problem of insider spies and insider threat. Dr. Charney is now a recognized authority about insider threat inside the intelligence community and to the public.
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Note: This event is in-person and masks will be required of attendees.
Accessibility note: This event is up two flights of stairs and Lost City Books does not have an elevator. This event will be simultaneously live streamed on our YouTube page!