Rahm Emanuel: Spy Arrests Signals Show U.S. Is on Guard

White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel says the arrest of 10 Russian agents who spent years in the U.S. posing as American citizens sends a signal to other countries that the U.S. is on guard.

Emanuel says President Obama was aware of the investigation and made the decision to go forward with the arrests.

The 10 agents pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy charges and were ordered out of the country in exchange for four people convicted of betraying Moscow to the West.

Emanuel says the arrests are a good thing for the U.S. because they send a signal to not only Russia but to other countries that will attempt to spy in the U.S. that "we're on to them."

Emanuel was interviewed by PBS' "NewsHour."