Remember how we reported last week that Acting DNI Richard Grenell walked over some confidential papers to the DOJ, to AG Barr? Well I think we’re about to find out what they were:
ABC NEWS – Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell has declassified a list of former Obama administration officials who were allegedly involved in the so-called “unmasking” of former national security adviser Michael Flynn in his conversations with the former Russian ambassador during the presidential transition, a senior U.S. official tells ABC News.
Grenell, who remains the U.S. ambassador to Germany along with being the acting DNI, visited the Justice Department last week and brought the list with him, according to the official.
His visit indicates his focus on an issue previously highlighted in 2017 by skeptics of the investigation into the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia, specifically allegations that former officials improperly unveiled Flynn’s identity from intercepts of his call with former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Back eons ago (it feels like), it was explained that when an American citizen talks with a foreigner being surveilled by US intelligence, specifically the NSA, that person’s name is masked because they aren’t the target of the surveillance. But certain Obama officials were unmasking names of Trump officials and making those people targets.
For example, we reported in 2017 that both Susan Rice and Samantha Powers both routinely unmasked officials in the Trump administration when they were in contact with officials from other countries. Ben Rhodes was also suspected of unmasking Trump officials inappropriately.
I’m sure there are more, but I fully expect to see those names listed on Grenell’s list.
Speaking of Susan Rice, here’s Tucker’s monologue tonight on Obamagate: