CNN: "Russians Deny their Ambassador is a Spy." WTF does it mean to have your ambassador be a spy? Have dems gone nuts?

Question

The job of an ambassador is to represent their government to another government. To meet with people. They are not secret.. They are relaying information back and forth, and trying to influence decisions.

That is kind of the definition of an Ambassador. So, how could one be a "spy"? What does that even mean?

Answer 1

And then they wonder why they're considered fake news.

Answer 2

Just about every person working in U.S. embassies (and the embassies of every other nation on Earth), is a spy. They have titles of diplomats, but they are more than that. Such is not the case with all ambassadors, however, because those posts (at least in American politics) are rewards for helping a President be elected, so they don't have the training to be spies. I suspect it is different in Russia and elsewhere.

Answer 3

Dems went nuts the instant Hillary lost all those States.

Answer 4

You could argue that every ambassador is a 'spy' for their country, but that dilutes the meaning of the word down to nothing. I would say that a 'spy' is someone who's been specifically trained in espionage and that's their primary function. By that definition, I'd seriously doubt that any ambassador is a 'spy'. They have more important duties.

Answer 5

It's in the job description.



Ambassador Position: Negotiator, spy, political contributor ....

Answer 6

It's entirely possible for an embassy or consulate employee to be an intelligence officer, too. In fact, we have such officers in our own embassies and consulates overseas. That's common knowledge. What isn't common knowledge is which employees they are.



No one's claiming that an ambassador's normal duties represent "spying". If you don't grasp that, then you're a little light in the brains department. However, an ambassador or other embassy employee could certainly be capable of obtaining information clandestinely and communicating it to his or her employers. It would also be possible for an ambassador to recruit intelligence operatives if he or she were minded to do so.



None of that is bizarre.

Answer 7

The fact that Russia is so vehemently denying it should be your first clue...

Answer 8

Ambassadors get information you want them to have.

Spies get information you don't want them to have.



The difference seems pretty #$@!ing obvious to me, but what do I know.



Is this even a serious question?

Answer 9

American ambassadors often double as spies. Their accusations are more of a projection than reality.