Washington, D.C., a city with a population of 700,000, is currently home to approximately 10,000 secret agents, according to a WTOP report attributed to the International Spy Museum in the city.
WTOP National Security correspondent J.J. Green extensively covered the issue in a three-part series titled “City of Secrets.”
D.C.’s International Spy Museum is known for publicly displaying the largest collection of international espionage artifacts.
With respect to the International Spy Museum’s statement, Brian Dugan, Assistant Special Agent in Charge for Counterintelligence with the FBI’s Washington Field Office, told WTOP that the threat from the the United States’ foreign adversaries is unprecedented.
“Specifically China on the economic espionage and the espionage front,” Dugan added, explaining that these spies could be among students, visiting professors, neighbors or colleagues.
Some speculated that there might be spies who go undercover as Uber/Lyft drivers or hotel employees aiming to gather information from diplomats.
https://twitter.com/KaraFrontera/status/1140962587099762688
Others implied that some officials appointed by President Donald Trump might be spies.
You can begin w a list of Trump appointees… pic.twitter.com/xV5iV6RVH8
— A33Incognito (@IncognitoA33) June 17, 2019
The guy in the WH, for sure..
— 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚 Persuasion 🆒💙🗽🇺🇸⚠️⚠️ ⚠️ (@SonOfAlgos) June 17, 2019
https://twitter.com/mark_rice_/status/1140962287857131521
Last April, Maria Butina, a Russian citizen based in D.C., was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a federal judge, after pleading guilty to attempting to infiltrate Republican groups and promote Russian interests ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The International Spy Museum’s permanent collections include “Spies Among Us”, which consists of exhibits, films, and videos documenting espionage through World War II, along with real-life spy stories. Code-making and code-breaking operations are explained by teaching how to create, break and hide coded messages via interactive exhibits.