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Grenell declassifies names of Obama officials who 'unmasked' Flynn

  
Via:  Vic Eldred  •  4 years ago  •  51 comments

By:   Edmund DeMarche (Fox News)

Grenell declassifies names of Obama officials who 'unmasked' Flynn
The Wall Street Journal, which reported on the looming release overnight, cited a senior government official who called Grenell's move unprecedented, as it came just days after the Justice Department dropped its case against Flynn, President Trump's first national security adviser. It is now up to Attorney General William Barr to release the names publicly.

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Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell has decided to declassify information about Obama administration officials who were behind the "unmasking" of Michael Flynn -- whose calls with the former Russian ambassador during the presidential transition were picked up in surveillance and later leaked -- and their names could soon be made public, a source confirmed.

Fox News confirmed that a new round of documents is expected, in the wake of a document dump last week that renewed focus on the Russia investigation and specifically the treatment of Flynn.

The Wall Street Journal, which reported on the looming release overnight, cited a senior government official who called Grenell's move unprecedented, as it came just days after the Justice Department dropped its case against Flynn, President Trump's first national security adviser. It is now up to Attorney General William Barr to release the names publicly.

Unmasking occurs after U.S. citizens' conversations are incidentally picked up in conversations with foreign officials who are being monitored by the intelligence community. The U.S. citizens' identities are supposed to be protected if their participation is incidental and no wrongdoing is suspected. However, officials can determine the U.S. citizens' names through a process that is supposed to safeguard their rights.

Officials in the Obama administration have acknowledged that they unmasked some Americans in intelligence reports, but insisted that their reasons were legitimate. Susan Rice, Obama's former national security adviser, said she unmasked the identities of Trump officials during the transition, according to ABC News. She has denied leaking their identities or being politically motivated.

An official told ABC News that Grenell visited the Justice Department at some point last week and had the list with him. The move coincided with the department's stunning reversal in the Flynn case, which was previously seen as special prosecutor Robert Mueller's signature case from the Russian collusion investigation.

The decision to drop the case was made even though prosecutors, for the past three years, have maintained that Flynn lied to the FBI in a January 2017 interview about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. Flynn pleaded guilty to this, but later sought to withdraw the plea.

Recent documents released in the case included handwritten notes in which FBI officials questioned what the purpose of interviewing Flynn. "What is our goal?" one of the notes read. "Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?"

In court documents filed last week, the Justice Department said that after reviewing newly disclosed information and other materials, it agreed with Flynn's lawyers that his Jan. 24, 2017 interview with the FBI should never have taken place because he had not had inappropriate contacts with Russians. The interview, the department said, was "conducted without any legitimate investigative basis."

Sidney Powell, one of Flynn's lawyers, told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," that FBI agents did their best to hide their investigation and attempted to entrap Flynn. She mentioned a meeting on Jan. 5, 2017 at the White House that included Obama, then-FBI Director James Comey, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan.

Powell said the "whole thing was orchestrated and set up within the FBI, Clapper, Brennan and in the Oval Office meeting that day with President Obama," she told anchor Maria Bartiromo.

Bartiromo asked Powell if she believed the scandal reached up to Obama, and Powell responded, "Absolutely."

Trump later tweeted, "OBAMAGATE," indicating that he believes that Obama worked to undermine his presidency.

When asked by a reporter in the Rose Garden what crime he is accusing Obama of committing, Trump responded: "Obamagate, it's been going on for a long time, it's been going on from before I got elected, and it's a disgrace that it happened. You look at now all of this information that's being released and from what I understand that's only the beginning."



Fox News' Morgan Phillips and the Associated Press contributed to this report

Edmund DeMarche is a senior news editor for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @EDeMarche.


Article is LOCKED by author/seeder
 

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Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
1  seeder  Vic Eldred    4 years ago

The unmasking itself isn't the crime - it was the leaking of info to a compliant press. The decision to release the names will be Barr's.

The temporary appointment of Richard Grenell as acting Director of National Intelligence ranks up there with some of the President's best appointments.

Just in:   Jeff Jenson, who just finished work on the Flynn case has been added to the Durham team.



 
 
 
Greg Jones
Professor Participates
1.1  Greg Jones  replied to  Vic Eldred @1    4 years ago

stg051320dAPR20200512024506.jpg

 
 
 
igknorantzrulz
PhD Quiet
2  igknorantzrulz    4 years ago

'The decision to drop the case was made even though prosecutors, for the past three years, have maintained that Flynn lied to the FBI in a January 2017 interview about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. Flynn pleaded guilty to this, but later sought to withdraw the plea."

.

The only paragraph need read, except for the brain dead

"The unmasking itself isn't the crime - it was the leaking of info to a compliant press."

How is below the Barr leaking & releasing it OK to U, and it being leaked to the press by someone,

the crime of the century...?

The 'Roight' has become SO DAMN WRONG

anymore,

it's just not RIGHT

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
2.1  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  igknorantzrulz @2    4 years ago

You see the problem with the Flynn case was that the FBI was ready to close the case was that the FBI was ready to close it after finding "no derogatory information".  Peter Strzok kept it open and pressured Flynn to sign a false confession.

"Records released on Wednesday included  handwritten notes  from Priestap on the day the FBI interviewed Flynn, showing doubts about the strategy being pursued by others in the bureau.

“I agreed yesterday that we shouldn’t show Flynn [REDACTED] if he didn’t admit,” but “I thought about it last night and I believe we should rethink this,” the FBI official wrote. “What is our goal? Truth/Admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?”

washingtonexaminer.com/news/peter-strzok-blocked-fbi-from-closing-flynn-investigation-after-it-found-no-derogatory-information


They got caught Iggy!

 
 
 
igknorantzrulz
PhD Quiet
2.1.1  igknorantzrulz  replied to  Vic Eldred @2.1    4 years ago

They got caught Iggy!

that would depend on what truths were contained in his 'truth/admission'

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
2.1.3  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  igknorantzrulz @2.1.1    4 years ago
that would depend

No it doesn't:


"Mr. Flynn entered a guilty plea—which he has since sought to withdraw—to a single
count of making false statements in a January 24, 2017 interview with investigators of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”). See ECF Nos. 3-4.

This crime, however, requires a
statement to be not simply false, but “materially” false with respect to a matter under
investigation. 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2).

Materiality is an essential element of the offense.

Materiality, moreover, requires more than mere “relevance” or relatedness to the matter being
investigated; it requires “probative weight,” whereby the statement is “reasonably likely to
influence the tribunal in making a determination required to be made.” United States v.
Weinstock, 231 F.2d 699, 701 (D.C. Cir. 1956) (emphasis added). 

 
 
 
igknorantzrulz
PhD Quiet
2.1.4  igknorantzrulz  replied to    4 years ago

nun  of you guys even WANT to see or know the TRUTH,

and it is sad for AMerica

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
2.1.6  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  gooseisgone @2.1.5    4 years ago
Did you bother to read what they actually did?

We can only hope!

 
 
 
Colour Me Free
Senior Quiet
2.1.7  Colour Me Free  replied to  igknorantzrulz @2.1.4    4 years ago

I think it comes down to what 'camp' one is from as to what 'truth' is to be told … there has been questions from the start as to whether or not Flynn was in the wrong .. correct me if I am wrong - but did not Flynn reached his plea deal while attempting to intervene for his son .. regarding other matters?

If Carter Page (even Papadopoulos) is any indication on how 'above board' the Russia 'probe' was … I question legitimacy of the charges against Flynn .. in the end, even with cooperation, Flynn provided nothing that 'brought Trump to his knees' as so many predicted the Mueller 'investigation' was going to do... 

I do no think either side of this argument is able to claim the 'high ground' for actions taken the summer of 2016 and beyond regarding Russia... I still find it rather pathetic that the 'then' president of the United States took no action against Russia until after the election … but that is just my view from the cheap seats...

Peace!

 
 
 
XXJefferson51
Senior Guide
2.1.8  XXJefferson51  replied to  Vic Eldred @2.1    4 years ago

Brennan is going to be majorly exposed in the next round of declassified releases. He lied about all the intelligence services agreeing that Russia wanted Trump to win.  Much of the intelligence said the opposite, that they preferred a known quality who’d been Secretary of State Hillary over the loose cannon unknown quality. More on that Wednesday per Fox News

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
2.1.10  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  XXJefferson51 @2.1.8    4 years ago

Yes, majorly (as the President might say!).  It would be the CIA that arranged for Papadopoulos to run into all those CIA operatives. It would be Brennan who told us that Putin wanted Trump to win. It looks and sounds like an Obama man......

 
 
 
Dulay
Professor Expert
2.1.11  Dulay  replied to    4 years ago
For fuck sakes man you need only look at the new info released they knew he didn't lied and pressured him to confess.

Yet the DOJ does NOT claim that Flynn did not lie. Barr merely insists that Flynn's lie isn't 'material'. 

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
2.1.12  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Dulay @2.1.11    4 years ago
Barr merely insists that Flynn's lie isn't 'material'. 

Correct!   The law: 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2).

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
2.1.15  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  gooseisgone @2.1.14    4 years ago
they already had a tape of the call, if he had done something illegal they would have charged him.

Bingo!  Full Stop!

 
 
 
Sean Treacy
Professor Principal
2.1.16  Sean Treacy  replied to  Dulay @2.1.11    4 years ago

Even assuming he lied (which they didn't think he did) of course it's immaterial.  They knew what he said (had the tape of the innocuous conversation ) and they had already completed their investigation into Flynn as a counter security threat (he was cleared) when they decided to break protocol yet again and interview him under false pretenses.

 

 
 
 
It Is ME
Masters Guide
2.2  It Is ME  replied to  igknorantzrulz @2    4 years ago
"The unmasking itself isn't the crime - it was the leaking of info to a compliant press ."

Does that go for …… EVERYONE that's ever done ….. the IT thingy ? jrSmiley_9_smiley_image.gif

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
3  seeder  Vic Eldred    4 years ago

Graham says he’ll hold Senate hearing on Flynn case in early June

b8S9D__S?format=jpg&name=small

 
 
 
Ronin2
Professor Quiet
4  Ronin2    4 years ago

Oh look the left is getting upset that the unmaskers in the Obama administration are now getting unmasked themselves.

"What goes around comes around." "If they have nothing to hide they have nothing to worry about" "Live with it!" I am sure there are few hundred more platitudes the left uttered while Obama administration officials unmasked Trump campaign and future administration members.  "Suck it up buttercup, it is going to be a rough ride."

Even if they manage to escape prosecution, their political careers and future in government is shot. This couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of assholes.

 
 
 
XXJefferson51
Senior Guide
4.1  XXJefferson51  replied to  Ronin2 @4    4 years ago

Lock them up! 

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
5  Jasper2529    4 years ago
Officials in the Obama administration have acknowledged that they unmasked some Americans in intelligence reports, but insisted that their reasons were legitimate. Susan Rice, Obama’s former national security adviser, said she unmasked the identities of Trump officials during the transition, according to   ABC News.   She has denied leaking their identities or being politically motivated.

As if any intelligent person would ever believe anything that comes out of Susan "Benghazi video" Rice's mouth.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
5.1  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Jasper2529 @5    4 years ago

She also added that little note (an afterthought really) to the memo of the infamous Jan 5 2017 meeting - claiming that Obama told Comey & co "to do everything by the book".

Would that mean that the FBI hadn't been doing things by the book? Or that after 8 years, Obama still had to remind them to do things right?

Or is it what it appears to be - a weak attempt by Susan Rice to cover Obama's dirty ass!

 
 
 
bccrane
Freshman Silent
5.1.1  bccrane  replied to  Vic Eldred @5.1    4 years ago

"to do everything by the book".

That is a classic CYA statement.  We had a surveyor basically say this when we kept losing property to their client, when we questioned him and caught him in "misstatements" he said "By law as a surveyor we can not produce false surveys to benefit our client." even though that is exactly what he was doing. 

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
6  Jasper2529    4 years ago
Sidney Powell, one of Flynn’s lawyers, told Fox News’  “Sunday Morning Futures,”  that FBI agents did their best to hide their investigation and attempted to entrap Flynn. She mentioned a meeting on Jan. 5, 2017 at the White House that included Obama, then-FBI Director James Comey, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA Director John Brennan.

Powell said the “whole thing was orchestrated and set up within the FBI, Clapper, Brennan and in the Oval Office meeting that day with President Obama,” she told anchor Maria Bartiromo.

Bartiromo asked Powell if she believed the scandal reached up to Obama, and Powell responded, “Absolutely.”

That meeting is a critical component of this entire scam to take down the Trump Administration and Gen. Flynn. One name is missing from the attendee list: former VP Joe Biden . This morning on GMA, he first said that he didn't know anything about it. When pressed, he said he kinda-sorta knew that something happened but didn't know details. BS Biden strikes again!

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
6.1  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Jasper2529 @6    4 years ago

As I said before, the fact that they got Flynn to make a confession almost hid the truth. Normally somebody who pleads guilty waves their right to exculpatory evidence, but fortunately DOJ took the time to look at something that stunk from here to Maine.


former VP Joe Biden . This morning on GMA, he first said that he didn't know anything about it. When pressed, he said he kinda-sorta knew that something happened but didn't know details. BS Biden strikes again!

Ya, I saw that. Wasn't that outrageous!   To be filed under "Life in the bunker with Biden!

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
6.1.1  Jasper2529  replied to  Vic Eldred @6.1    4 years ago
Ya, I saw that. Wasn't that outrageous!  To be filed under "Life in the bunker with Biden!

I saw another clip of Biden - not sure if it was the same GMA interview - where Biden said he's actively campaigning and was winning. Speaking only for myself, I haven't seen videos of Joe Biden out of his basement for a couple of months - not even in his yard - so it looks like Jill is in charge of what Joe is allowed to do/not do! 

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
6.1.2  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Jasper2529 @6.1.1    4 years ago

Obama's old campaign advisors wrote an open letter to Biden in the New York Times asking him to use surrogates to campaign for him. Think about that! They are advising him to use somebody else to speak for him.

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
6.1.3  Jasper2529  replied to  Vic Eldred @6.1.2    4 years ago
They are advising him to use somebody else to speak for him.

It's just the same package in new wrapping. Several months ago, Biden put out an ad that was almost completely made from old Obama clips praising his former VP.

 
 
 
Colour Me Free
Senior Quiet
6.1.4  Colour Me Free  replied to  Jasper2529 @6.1.1    4 years ago
Speaking only for myself, I haven't seen videos of Joe Biden out of his basement for a couple of months - not even in his yard

Good point … and the few interviews I have seen have been from the exact same spot in said basement...  : )

At one time I really thought I could have supported Biden .. he lost me when he pledged to make his running mate a woman (Buttigieg was the logical choice) .. but Stacy Abrams it is, or so I predict - had he run in 2016, we probably would not have Trump .. am thinking Biden's time has past - we shall see - not overly excited about 4 more years of Trump!

Once again the choices for president SUCK!

 
 
 
Thomas
Senior Guide
6.1.5  Thomas  replied to  Colour Me Free @6.1.4    4 years ago

Joe Biden is Dead???? 

jrSmiley_123_smiley_image.gif

 
 
 
Texan1211
Professor Principal
6.1.6  Texan1211  replied to  Thomas @6.1.5    4 years ago

Perhaps not really dead--just dead from the neck up!

 
 
 
Colour Me Free
Senior Quiet
6.1.7  Colour Me Free  replied to  Thomas @6.1.5    4 years ago

You are insulting your own intelligence - or perhaps a lack thereof …… I am not here very often .. if you are going to hump my leg  ..step it up.... 

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
6.1.8  Jasper2529  replied to  Colour Me Free @6.1.4    4 years ago
he lost me when he pledged to make his running mate a woman

IMO, he made that pledge too early, because his top choices could only have been the women who were his primary opponents. But, none of them were popular with the Democratic Party electorate. It will be interesting to see who Biden eventually chooses as his running mate. One thing for sure based upon Biden's physical health issues and recent behaviors, she will have to be physically healthy and of sound, stable mental capacities.

 
 
 
Thomas
Senior Guide
6.1.9  Thomas  replied to  Colour Me Free @6.1.7    4 years ago

Joke. That was a joke.

Personally, I don't know why Biden ran in the first place, and I am with you when you say both choices suck. We need to do away with the parties. 

As for the article, I think that it is just a bunch of hooey. Partisan hacks placed in positions of power with the subversion of democracy and promotion of propaganda the primary objective.

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
6.1.10  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Jasper2529 @6.1.3    4 years ago

I expect Obama to campaign for him after the summer. Unless, that is, we find out a bit more about Obama's role in the coup!

 
 
 
The Magic 8 Ball
Masters Quiet
6.1.12  The Magic 8 Ball  replied to  Colour Me Free @6.1.4    4 years ago
had he run in 2016, we probably would not have Trump

hillary had a better chance than biden by far

if hillary could not beat trump in 2016? no way in hell biden could have beat trump in 2016 either.

, with quid pro joe running this year? technically, the lefts bench is empty

 
 
 
Colour Me Free
Senior Quiet
6.1.13  Colour Me Free  replied to  dennis smith @6.1.11    4 years ago
Mueller report failure, impeachment failure impeachment, coupled with the upcoming revealings in the Flynn case and recovery from the COVID-19 under Trump, they will lose the House, Senate and WH contests in Nov.

Interesting view .. have to wait and see .. I do, albeit with a bit of anxiety, think Trump will prevail .. but the (D)s losing the House …??  I question whether that will happen..

November is coming fast!

 
 
 
Colour Me Free
Senior Quiet
6.1.14  Colour Me Free  replied to  The Magic 8 Ball @6.1.12    4 years ago
if hillary could not beat trump in 2016? no way in hell biden could have beat trump in 2016 either.

Haha okay … H. was a poison pill, she did not have national support .. she was the (D) nominee by 'default' .. same thing happened this year - the (D)s rallied to keep Sanders from getting the nomination .. had Biden stepped in to run against H.  .. her 'supporters' would have made the switch to Biden.  One thing that did not happen in 2016 was Sanders supporters getting on the H. bandwagon ...

I speculate ..  : )

 
 
 
Colour Me Free
Senior Quiet
6.1.15  Colour Me Free  replied to  Thomas @6.1.9    4 years ago
Joke. That was a joke.

My bad!

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
6.1.16  Jasper2529  replied to  Colour Me Free @6.1.13    4 years ago
but the (D)s losing the House …??  I question whether that will happen..

It still might happen. Republicans just won 2 House seats yesterday: 

 
 
 
Vic Eldred
Professor Principal
6.1.17  seeder  Vic Eldred  replied to  Jasper2529 @6.1.16    4 years ago

An indicator of voter enthusiasm? 

Is the polling legit?

 
 
 
1stwarrior
Professor Participates
6.2  1stwarrior  replied to  Jasper2529 @6    4 years ago

256

 
 
 
Jasper2529
Professor Quiet
6.2.1  Jasper2529  replied to  1stwarrior @6.2    4 years ago

That web is a good start There are more who are entwined. Time will tell.

 
 
 
igknorantzrulz
PhD Quiet
8  igknorantzrulz    4 years ago

but, Trump said it's Obama's fault

 
 

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