‘I’m Part of Something That’s Really Evil’

This episode contains strong language.

Terry Albury joined the F.B.I. just before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, drawn in by the bureau’s work fighting child exploitation. His role quickly changed after 9/11 however, and he subsequently spent over a decade working in counterterrorism.

Around 2015, he began to deeply question his work. “This is not what I joined the F.B.I. to do,” he recalled thinking.

His doubts about the bureau’s workings led him to leak classified information to journalists. Today, we hear his story.

Guest: Janet Reitman, a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. 

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Background reading: 

• Here’s Janet Reitman’s profile of Mr. Albury, the first F.B.I. special agent since Robert Hanssen in 2001 to be convicted under the Espionage Act.

For more information on today’s episode, visit 

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