| DEPARTMENT | |
| 9-11 | Expulsion of Russian Diplomat / Exceptional Cooperation Between FBI and State |
| Department's Diplomatic Service |
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QUESTION: Different subject. On the spy investigation, can you tell me how the investigation is going? Are you continuing to interview people in this building and out?
MR. FOLEY: I'm not going to be able to comment in any kind of detail about the work of law enforcement, the work of the FBI, the work of the State Department's Office of Diplomatic Security. I can certainly underscore what was said here yesterday, which is that there has really been exceptional cooperation between the FBI and the State Department's Diplomatic Security Office in the months preceding the apprehension on Wednesday. And you saw that displayed here at the podium yesterday and that cooperation is continuing.
I can confirm, because Mr. Gallagher and Mr. Carpenter yesterday told you, that the process of the investigation has shifted and they are now interviewing people in order to determine or develop leads in the case. I can't comment, though, on the specifics of how that is going and we'll have to see how that goes. I think Secretary Albright, in some of her TV interviews this morning, I think, pointed out the fact that there are different phases of this case and we've now entered a new phase and that it has to be done in a sequential way; that it was necessary in order to protect our ability to detect and neutralize the operation, that a certain approach be taken up until the time that it was shut down. And Mr. Gusev was apprehended on Wednesday. And now we're in a new mode and a more open investigation is underway to determine everything that needs to be known about the incident.
QUESTION: Are you absolutely confident that there are no other bugs in this building?
MR. FOLEY: I'm glad you asked the question because one of your fellow networks - a major network - in its report last evening, made the rather remarkable claim that people in the State Department are pulling their hair out over the possibility that there are many bugs here in the State Department and that walls are going to be torn down to look for those bugs. And that, of course, was at complete variance with what Mr. Carpenter said yesterday.
He made it crystal clear; (a) that we had a program of sweeps that did not cover the entire building - and he explained that - underway before the incident but that, upon learning of the existence of the bug, a very thorough going sweeping effort was undertaken throughout the Department. And so I checked when I saw that television report and I checked not only in this building, but elsewhere and the reaction was one of dismay. I can assure you that Diplomatic Security has undertaken extensive sweeps and believes that there are no such instruments here in the building at this time.
QUESTION: And what about any of the other numerous buildings that this Department occupies around town?
MR. FOLEY: Certainly it's an ongoing effort and it's one that has to be prioritized, as Mr. Carpenter indicated yesterday. Given that we have only so much manpower, one has to concentrate in the first instance on the most sensitive and important areas of the State Department. Although, let me back up and underline what Secretary Albright said this morning and what Mr. Carpenter said yesterday that the effort to ensure the integrity of the most sensitive areas of the State Department had been ongoing even before this incident and that the bug that was found was not in any such area. But the effort to complete the task of sweeping all of our facilities, I believe, is ongoing.
QUESTION: I just wanted to ask you quickly, the Russian foreign ministry today has made a statement that the way that this accused Russian spy was treated was a crude violation of the Vienna Convention, that he has been improperly treated and this is clearly a tit for tat, any reaction?
MR. FOLEY: There are two parts to the question. On the allegation of a tit for tat action on our part, I think that the briefing that you had yesterday was fairly compelling in that regard, that indeed this was something that was spotted and identified many months ago. Secretary Albright indicated this morning she had been briefed a number of months ago; it was something that we were watching and watching in a way so that we could, at the right moment, neutralize the operation. And our briefers yesterday indicated why the timing occurred as it did and when it did.
In terms of the first part - and so therefore this was not a retaliatory exercise by any means. In terms of the first part of your question, I have not heard or seen that quotation from the Russian authorities. Was it the foreign minister you are referring to? I have not seen that. But, certainly, without seeing it, I can reject the claim. I think that Mr. Gusev was treated very responsibly. He was - because he enjoys diplomatic immunity - was given back into the custody of consular officials of the Russian embassy. He will not be charged. Because he has diplomatic immunity, he will - has been required to leave the United States within 10 days, starting Wednesday, last Wednesday, so he has eight days to go.
QUESTION: One of the Russian folks here in Washington told me that Gusev was going to leave today. Have you heard that?
MR. FOLEY: I have not heard that.
QUESTION: The room where the bug was, can we confirm that it was the Oceans Conference Room, the Department of Oceans and Environmental -
MR. FOLEY: I don't know whether you can confirm that, but I'm certainly not going to confirm that.
QUESTION: You're not going to confirm that?
MR. FOLEY: No.
QUESTION: Okay. And the room in which the bug was found, who met in that room? What kind of level of people and what kind of discussions? Were there diplomats from other countries who met in that room?
MR. FOLEY: That is all subject to the current, ongoing investigation. I am not in a position to talk about that.
QUESTION: There was a report that 50 to 100 meetings took place in the room before the bug was discovered. Can you confirm that?
MR. FOLEY: I'm sorry. This is certainly a matter that is under active investigation at the moment. But, as was indicated yesterday, this is something that we have to let the investigators work on and we're not going to be able to talk about it publicly for different kinds of reasons until their work has advanced and been completed.
QUESTION: And I've asked and been turned down to visit this Oceans and Environmental Conference Room on the seventh floor. Would you allow us to visit this room?
MR. FOLEY: I would have to look into the question. I frankly doubt it.
QUESTION: Can you confirm that you all called the Russian Ambassador in again yesterday and could you describe what the reason for that meeting was?
MR. FOLEY: I will have to look into that and get back to you after the briefing.
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Thank you.
(The briefing concluded at 2:15 p.m.)
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