Howard Metzenbaum: “we were all shocked on Wednesday to learn that a senior CIA case officer had been arrested and charged with being a spy…”

“we were all shocked on Wednesday to learn that a senior CIA case officer had been arrested and charged with being a spy for the Soviet Union and later for the Russian Federation. It is almost beyond belief that he had allegedly been getting away with it for nearly 9 years. Some of my colleagues, including the Republican leader and some on my side of the aisle as well, have suggested we should retaliate against Russia for engaging in espionage against us by cutting off our economic aid to them. I do not follow that logic. "I don't get it." Are my colleagues telling us that they are outraged, or surprised, or disappointed, or dumbfounded to learn that the Soviet Union, and now the Russians, have spies working for them? Is that news to them? Are you telling me there is a Member of this body who is naive enough to believe that Russia had gotten out of the espionage business? Of course not. Did they think that the day the Soviet Union fell, we all shook hands and called home our spies? Of course not. Whom are we kidding. We all know that was not the fact. It was not the Russians who betrayed us. It was an American CIA officer who betrayed his country for cash, and exposed our spies in Russia. The Russians are doing what we have been doing for decades in the spying business. What riles me is the fact that they seem to be doing a better job of it than we are. The protesting Republican leader and his allies from my party could use a little reality check.…”