General Discussion

wishstar

(5,269 posts) Mon Apr 3, 2017, 08:12 PM Apr 2017

Updated article by CBS:" Susan Rice asked for "unmasking" for national security,"

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/susan-rice-asked-for-unmasking-for-national-security-source-says/

Then-National Security Adviser Susan Rice did at times ask that certain names in intelligence reports be “unmasked” in order to understand the context in which they were mentioned in intelligence reports, a former national security official told CBS News.

Rice asked for the identities of those Americans picked up during surveillance of foreign nationals when it was deemed important context for national security, and she did not ask that the information be disseminated broadly, according to this former official.

Monday report by Bloomberg’s Eli Lake said that Rice requested the unmasking of Trump officials. Names of Americans swept up incidentally in the collection of intelligence are normally masked, or kept redacted, in intelligence briefings. However, the law provides for much leeway when it comes to unmasking by National Security Council officials, which suggests that Rice’s request was legal.

This type of request was not a special practice related to the Trump transition team, though the former official did not dispute the reporting by Bloomberg.
As a procedural matter, an intelligence briefer would have had to clear a requested unmasking with the head of the agency providing the intelligence. It is unclear why these intelligence intercepts were considered so important that they would need to be shared with the president’s national security adviser.

11 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Updated article by CBS:" Susan Rice asked for "unmasking" for national security," (Original Post) wishstar Apr 2017 OP

"It is unclear why these intelligence intercepts were considered so important..." PSPS Apr 2017 #1

Totally legal and now the RW and their trolls are trying to run with it. Kingofalldems Apr 2017 #2

Rightwingers are making wild leaps way beyond what Devin Nunes said wishstar Apr 2017 #3

This message was self-deleted by its author AngryAmish Apr 2017 #4

Message auto-removed Name removed Apr 2017 #5

Intelligence report summaries don't have Americans' names wishstar Apr 2017 #6

Message auto-removed Name removed Apr 2017 #8

Susan Rice, doing her job. This is how it's done trumpster..n/t monmouth4 Apr 2017 #7

RWers will interpret this as Susan Rice spied on Trump. Yavin4 Apr 2017 #9

Clearly the intention of Trump's WH in leaking this story in the first place- a major deflection wishstar Apr 2017 #10

trying to muddy the water....masked or unmasked, the committee job is to investigate trump/russia spanone Apr 2017 #11

PSPS

(13,599 posts)

1. "It is unclear why these intelligence intercepts were considered so important..."

Reply to wishstar (Original post)

Mon Apr 3, 2017, 08:13 PM

Apr 2017

I think it's pretty clear to most people.

Kingofalldems

(38,458 posts)

2. Totally legal and now the RW and their trolls are trying to run with it.

Reply to wishstar (Original post)

Mon Apr 3, 2017, 08:15 PM

Apr 2017

It won't work.

wishstar

(5,269 posts)

3. Rightwingers are making wild leaps way beyond what Devin Nunes said

Reply to wishstar (Original post)

Mon Apr 3, 2017, 08:29 PM

Apr 2017

Nunes said this intelligence was not about Russia at all (so claims that Rice's unmasking led to Flynn leak is bogus) and he dismissed the intelligence as not significant with regards to the Russia investigation

Nunes said the intelligence didn't target Americans and was gathered legally (so claims it was illegal are bogus)

Plus Nunes said he could figure out who the people were even though they were masked (so all the hoopla over unmasking is bogus).

Jim Sciutto of CNN just said he has talked to associates of Susan Rice who told them she has no idea what WH is talking about and there was no improper unmasking. He also rebutted the Repub CNN guest who tried to directly connect this matter to the Flynn leak by saying that Nunes said repeatedly this had nothing to do with Russian contacts and several leaks to press seem to be coming from WH

Response to wishstar (Original post)

AngryAmish This message was self-deleted by its author.

Response to wishstar (Original post)

Name removed Message auto-removed

wishstar

(5,269 posts)

6. Intelligence report summaries don't have Americans' names

Reply to Name removed (Reply #5)

Mon Apr 3, 2017, 08:39 PM

Apr 2017

When intelligence reports are prepared from surveillance of foreign diplomats or foreign operatives, if Americans are inadvertently captured in the discussions, their names are changed to "Citizen #1 " for example for protection of privacy. However if someone like Susan Rice in her position of National Security Advisor felt she needed to know their identity for national security reasons, she would have to submit a request for a masked name to be unmasked so she would know their identity. Other officials have to approve the request for unmasking. So only those officials with a direct reason to study the intelligence for purposes of national security would know the identities. This has nothing to do with leaking to press, or public exposure.

Response to wishstar (Reply #6)

Name removed Message auto-removed

monmouth4

(9,707 posts)

7. Susan Rice, doing her job. This is how it's done trumpster..n/t

Reply to wishstar (Original post)

Mon Apr 3, 2017, 08:39 PM

Apr 2017

Yavin4

(35,440 posts)

9. RWers will interpret this as Susan Rice spied on Trump.

Reply to wishstar (Original post)

Mon Apr 3, 2017, 08:46 PM

Apr 2017

No amount of factual information will dissuade them from this. None. They live on half-truths and outright lies.

wishstar

(5,269 posts)

10. Clearly the intention of Trump's WH in leaking this story in the first place- a major deflection

Reply to Yavin4 (Reply #9)

Mon Apr 3, 2017, 08:55 PM

Apr 2017

Flynn's protege Ezra Cohen-Watnick (probably under Bannon's direction) cooked up the whole scheme and roped in Nunes to get media and right wingers focusing on a fake scandal as a major diversion of attention from Russian influence and contacts being revealed in the hearings

spanone

(135,838 posts)

11. trying to muddy the water....masked or unmasked, the committee job is to investigate trump/russia