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ORIGINAL: WickedsDesire

So not a bipartisan committee - isn't that known as a witch hunt?

heh boscox pssst hysterical snowflake do you know what the opposite of sharp is? Boscox. Guffaws....has its own SI units called dumbfukery guffaws guffaws

What's this committee for again ffs how many committees you corrupt american jackals got running just now

2 into the Russians
They started any into the great satan yet?

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Well, former National Security Adviser Susan Rice is back in the news. The former Obama aide was a subject of interest concerning unmasking the identities of Americans that were collected through intelligence reports. Our intelligence community uses general phrases to hide a citizen’s identity that was not the subject of a FISA warrant or any other surveillance. Only in certain circumstances is a U.S. citizen’s identity unmasked, which USA Today pointed out when this controversy reared its head in April. If the information is public, if it is critical to analysis, or if an American is suspected of being a foreign agent, then their identity is unmasked. It is not meant for political purposes, which was the cause of concern with Rice and senior Trump officials. All of this stems from the congressional investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election (via USA Today):

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When U.S. spy agencies eavesdrop on terrorists or foreign agents, they often come across information about U.S. citizens who are not the target of their investigation. This "incidental collection" is not illegal or improper, but specially trained intelligence officers are required to go through an established procedure to protect the privacy of U.S. persons, known as "minimization."

(U.S. persons are defined as U.S. citizens and permanent residents, no matter where they are in the world.)

If a national security official who receives an intelligence report feels like he or she needs to know the identity of a U.S. person in an intelligence report, that official can make a request to "unmask."

The procedures for doing so are less well understood than the minimization process, but about 20 officials at the National Security Agency have the authority to approve an unmasking, NSA Director Michael Rogers told the House Intelligence Committee last month.

Especially sensitive requests would come to his attention personally. "I'm the senior-most of the 20 individuals. Requests will be pushed to my level, say 'Hey, sir, we just want to make sure that you're comfortable with this,'" he said.

In an interview with MSNBC…Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice denied making requests to unmask the names of Trump associates for political purposes. She described the process as routine, but declined to say specifically how often she made requests or for what purposes.

"There were occasions when I would receive a report in which a U.S. person was referred to. Name not provided, just a U.S. person," she said. "And sometimes in that context, in order to understand the importance of the report, and assess its significance, it was necessary to find out, or request the information, as to who the U.S. official was.

Also, in April, Rice then changed her story on the unmasking, saying it was part of the job, but that it was not used as a political weapon. Now, we know why she decided to unmask the names of senior Trump aides (via CNN):

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Former national security adviser Susan Rice privately told House investigators that she unmasked the identities of senior Trump officials to understand why the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates was in New York late last year, multiple sources told CNN...

The real issue with Rice is that of credibility. She’s a liar. She was caught lying to the public when she did the marathon Sunday morning talk show circuit (also known as the Full Ginsburg) after the Benghazi terror attack that left four Americans dead, including the late Ambassador Chris Stevens, to say a YouTube video was to blame. That was a lie. Yet, in keeping with tradition, she continues to be the “Typhoid Mary” of the Obama administration. The media tried to play this off as a diversion; though we now know she did unmask Trump officials.

President Trump weighed in on this development on Wednesday, where he said this was the “tip of the iceberg,” and that what Rice did was wrong (via Washington Examiner):

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"She's not supposed to be doing that, and what she did was wrong. And we've been saying that and that's just the tip of the iceberg," Trump told reporters of Rice's unmasking. "What she did was wrong. Not supposed to be doing that. You know it. The unmasking and the surveillance, and I heard she admitted that yesterday. Just not right."

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President Trump said Thursday that efforts by Susan Rice to unmask his associates’ identities in intelligence reports last year are “just the tip of the iceberg,” slamming the former Obama national security adviser days after she spoke to House investigators.

“She’s not supposed to be [unmasking], and what she did was wrong … and that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Trump told Fox News, speaking aboard Air Force One on his way back from surveying Hurricane Irma damage in Florida.

He added, “I heard she admitted [to unmasking] yesterday.”

A senior Capitol Hill source told Fox News that Rice gave “vast and varied” explanations for her actions last week, during a meeting with the House Intelligence Committee. It was the latest in a series of meetings for Obama officials with lawmakers looking for details on the role they may have played in seeking Trump associates’ identities from intelligence reports.

As CNN first reported, Rice explained to the committee that she wanted to learn why the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates was in New York last year. He apparently attended a meeting with Michael Flynn, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and strategist Steve Bannon in December.

Rice said she was bothered by that meeting and the timing, because the UAE delegation had asked for a meeting with then-President Obama and then canceled, supposedly because they weren’t coming to the U.S. – only for the crown prince to quietly see the Trump team.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., did not dispute this account of the Rice appearance, when asked on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”

“It's not inconsistent with her testimony. Whether or not that's true or not, I can't tell you. But it's consistent with what she said,” said Gowdy, among the lawmakers who questioned Rice.

He said Rice did a “good job” during the interview. Asked whether her answers were satisfactory, he said, “I have no reason to impeach them or contradict them.”

But he added, “There’s a whole body of documents that I need to know whether or not what she said is corroborated or contradicted. I don’t usually go just based on what someone said, particularly if there are documents that either refute it or corroborate it.”

Congressional investigators have issued subpoenas to the NSA, CIA and FBI seeking "unmasking" information related to three individuals: Rice, former CIA Director John Brennan and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power.

Rice initially told PBS' Judy Woodruff in March that she “knew nothing” about the unmasking of Trump associates. But weeks later on MSNBC, she admitted she sometimes sought out the identities of Trump associates who communicated with foreigners, a request known as “unmasking” in the intelligence community.

But “I leaked nothing to nobody,” Rice told MSNBC.

quote:

ORIGINAL: bounty44

"Trump rips Susan Rice over unmasking, says it’s ‘just the tip of the iceberg’"

quote:

President Trump said Thursday that efforts by Susan Rice to unmask his associates’ identities in intelligence reports last year are “just the tip of the iceberg,” slamming the former Obama national security adviser days after she spoke to House investigators.

“She’s not supposed to be [unmasking], and what she did was wrong … and that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Trump told Fox News, speaking aboard Air Force One on his way back from surveying Hurricane Irma damage in Florida.

He added, “I heard she admitted [to unmasking] yesterday.”

A senior Capitol Hill source told Fox News that Rice gave “vast and varied” explanations for her actions last week, during a meeting with the House Intelligence Committee. It was the latest in a series of meetings for Obama officials with lawmakers looking for details on the role they may have played in seeking Trump associates’ identities from intelligence reports.

As CNN first reported, Rice explained to the committee that she wanted to learn why the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates was in New York last year. He apparently attended a meeting with Michael Flynn, Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and strategist Steve Bannon in December.

Rice said she was bothered by that meeting and the timing, because the UAE delegation had asked for a meeting with then-President Obama and then canceled, supposedly because they weren’t coming to the U.S. – only for the crown prince to quietly see the Trump team.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., did not dispute this account of the Rice appearance, when asked on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom.”

“It's not inconsistent with her testimony. Whether or not that's true or not, I can't tell you. But it's consistent with what she said,” said Gowdy, among the lawmakers who questioned Rice.

He said Rice did a “good job” during the interview. Asked whether her answers were satisfactory, he said, “I have no reason to impeach them or contradict them.”

But he added, “There’s a whole body of documents that I need to know whether or not what she said is corroborated or contradicted. I don’t usually go just based on what someone said, particularly if there are documents that either refute it or corroborate it.”

Congressional investigators have issued subpoenas to the NSA, CIA and FBI seeking "unmasking" information related to three individuals: Rice, former CIA Director John Brennan and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power.

Rice initially told PBS' Judy Woodruff in March that she “knew nothing” about the unmasking of Trump associates. But weeks later on MSNBC, she admitted she sometimes sought out the identities of Trump associates who communicated with foreigners, a request known as “unmasking” in the intelligence community.

But “I leaked nothing to nobody,” Rice told MSNBC.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/09/14/susan-rice-gave-vast-and-varied-explanations-for-trump-team-unmasking-source-says.html

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Well, it looks like former Obama National Security Adviser Susan Rice had a partner concerning the unmasking of American identities from intelligence reports. Unmasking has become the topic of discussion these days, which deals with the protocols in which Americans are have been caught up in intelligence reports have their identities revealed in the interests of national security. As an example, people under surveillance authorized by the FISA court sometimes come into contact with American citizens. This is called “incidental collection.” USA Today had a nice rundown of the lexicon regarding this process. In short, unmasking only occurs if a citizen’s information is public knowledge, critical to analysis, or if the American himself (or herself) is suspected of being a foreign agent.

In March, Ms. Rice denied knowing about the unmasking of senior Trump officials. Then, she admitted in April, that she knew of this activity, which was part of her job. So, she finally admits it. Now, former UN Ambassador Samantha Power might have also unasked Americans, allegedly at a rapid pace in the final days of the Obama administration. Fox News’ Catherine Herridge and Bret Baier had details:

(oh no comrades, fox news too!)

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Samantha Power, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, was 'unmasking' at such a rapid pace in the final months of the Obama administration that she averaged more than one request for every working day in 2016 – and even sought information in the days leading up to President Trump’s inauguration, multiple sources close to the matter told Fox News.

Two sources, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said the requests to identify Americans whose names surfaced in foreign intelligence reporting, known as unmasking, exceeded 260 last year. One source indicated this occurred in the final days of the Obama White House.

The details emerged ahead of an expected appearance by Power next month on Capitol Hill. She is one of several Obama administration officials facing congressional scrutiny for their role in seeking the identities of Trump associates in intelligence reports – but the interest in her actions is particularly high.

In a July 27 letter to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said the committee had learned "that one official, whose position had no apparent intelligence-related function, made hundreds of unmasking requests during the final year of the Obama Administration."

The "official" is widely reported to be Power.

Ms. Power is expected to offer testimony into the Russian interference investigation Congress is conducting in October. Yes, this is not what unmasking was intended for, and while it’s not illegal or considered leaking—it does strike an unnerving feeling. Moreover, as Sharyl Attkisson noted, the loosening of the unmasking protocols from 2011 have led to abuse. For now, it seems that Power and Rice are quite the gruesome twosome in the unmasking effort.