Ever since Donald Trump claimed that former President Obama had him wiretapped at Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign (a charge that has never been substantiated by anyone or any intelligence agency), there’s been repeated talk of who in the Obama administration might have “unmasked” American citizens who were under surveillance as part of investigations into contacts with Russian operatives. Trump and many of his Republican supporters have blamed Obama’s National Security Adviser, Susan Rice, but as it turns out, it was the now-recused Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes.
On at least five separate occasions, according to the Washington Post, Nunes requested that American intelligence agencies unmask (or make known) the identities of Americans. Nunes himself has tried to point the finger at members of the Obama administration, and now it seems clear why he and Trump have done so: To throw us off their own scent and cover their own nefarious actions.
According to U.S. spy agencies, the House Intelligence Committee requested five to six unmaskings of U.S. organizations or individuals who were connected to Trump or Hillary Clinton between June 2016 and January 2017. Specifically, the House Intelligence Committee’s requests focused on the identities of U.S. organizations that had been hacked by the Russians in 2016.
Contacted for comment on the Post report, a spokesperson for Republicans on the committee replied:
“It is standard operating procedure for the House Intelligence Committee to forward all committee members’ questions from both parties to the appropriate agencies, whether or not they are answered. I refer you to committee Democrats for further questions on this subject.”
On Thursday, Nunes sent out a tweet which read:
“Seeing a lot of fake news from media elites and others who have no interest in violations of Americans’ civil liberties via unmaskings.”
How hypocritical can one man possibly be? Considering that Nunes was on the Trump transition team and has gone out of his way to defend Trump no matter what, it would appear that the congressman has absolutely no shame. With a midterm election looming in 2017, Nunes may also be on his way out of job.
So the next time we hear the word “unmasking” from a Trump defender, keep in mind the Republicans are the ones making the requests for Americans to be exposed.
Featured Image Via NBC News
