April 29, 2001

12:09 PM

Alleged FBI Double Agent's Stripper 'Friend' Talks: No easy way to put that, sorry. So this is what Robert Hanssen did with all that money from spying? Or allegedly did? He really was just trying to "rescue" her? Goodness, what a bizarre and disturbing story. Please be warned that this is dizzyingly strong material, especially the part about the fate of the subject's false teeth. It's "Pretty Woman" without the sex, but with the Soviet Union and crack.
posted by raysmj (4 comments total)

So it's not about the money for these guys who sell out their country--at least not this one. It's about power. Being an FBI agent wasn't enough of an ego trip for Hanssen. He liked the power he felt by playing Sugar Daddy to this poor woman, and by playing spy vs. spy on both sides of the fence. At least, that's how I see it.
posted by jpoulos at 2:34 PM on April 29, 2001

Seems that way to me too, but I don't he consciously thought of himself as having that large of an ego. He probably bought his own s*** about trying to help the woman. He mostly likely cut her off and felt righteous about it, even though he was actually being sadistic. (Strange to think that anyone would think you could prevent such behavior with the death penalty.)

Nothing in my experience leads me to believe that this account is unthinkable -- it's just peculiar behavior I've seen magnified by ten-fold, maybe, or at least just taking place on a higher level. If you put this in a movie or novel these days, though, you'd having critics screaming about the story's authenticity, about its unreliable narrator, etc. As in, "Ooh, lookie, someone's trying to write the great American novel here. Next."
posted by raysmj at 3:33 PM on April 29, 2001

I think either she's spinning a tale or she's right--he was planning to run her against somebody.

Or could he have been just weird and twisted enough to spend 100 grand of the worst kind of ill-gotten dough on poontang and never get around to cashing the ticket?

THAT should be a death penalty bounce, right there.

And could somebody get the Fed to release another picture of this asshole? Or did the knuckle-draggers beat him up so bad they're waiting for the bruises to fade first?

I didn't think I could possibly have any lower opinion of this puke, but there is something majorly creeepy about this story. I think that's why nobody's commenting on it.
posted by steve_high at 7:36 PM on April 29, 2001

I know . . . what the hell can you say? Didn't expect much comment, really, but thought it was worth posting. Not so much creepy to me as disquieting, and disquieting on a number of levels. There's almost too much going on to address or even think about. I think it's safe to say, though, that if nothing else, the article should be required reading for anyone even considering a visit to a strip club.
posted by raysmj at 7:59 PM on April 29, 2001