Virginia: Ex-spies say suburban D.C. casino would put nation’s secrets at risk

Thursday, January 23, 2025 3:25 PM
Photo:  Mehaniq/Shutterstock.com
  • Virginia
  • Washington DC
  • Laura Vozzella, Teo Armus, The Washington Post

Forget what you’ve seen in every James Bond movie: Spies and casinos don’t mix. At least they shouldn’t mix, according to real-life agents fighting a proposed Fairfax County casino as a national security threat.

Home to CIA headquarters, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and countless supersecret defense and intelligence contractors, the D.C. suburb probably boasts more security clearances than anywhere else in America, says a group of ex-spies, who warn in a letter to state and local officials that building a casino in Tysons could lead those secret-keepers astray.