Is The FBI Mole Still Lying?

By Elaine Shannon

Ex-FBI agent and confessed Russian spy Robert Hanssen admitted his guilt last July under a plea bargain that enables him to escape the death penalty if he tells the whole truth about his spying activities. The FBI has just finished six months of questioning Hanssen under a polygraph, but some counterintelligence hands are not happy with the results. They think Hanssen is still not telling all. Sources tell TIME the polygraph indicated possible deception when Hanssen denied stripper Priscilla Galey's claim that he had tried to recruit her as a spy in 1990-91. Hanssen said the attraction was purely physical and explained the needle's jitters as the nervousness of a conservative Roman Catholic when asked about his extramarital affair. But Hanssen is also suspected of being less than candid about other aspects of his 21-year career as a Russian mole, according to senior U.S. officials. If he is shown to have been untruthful, his plea arrangement could fall apart and he could wind up going to trial. His attorney, Plato Cacheris, acknowledges that he and Hanssen met with prosecutors to discuss the polygraphers' concerns but insists the matter was resolved and that Hanssen "doesn't have any credibility problem." However, government sources say some FBI officials will use the time between now and Hanssen's sentencing--scheduled for May 10--to pore over his debriefings for possible slips.

--By Elaine Shannon