Who knows what goes on behind closed doors?
Via Circa:
Samantha Power, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, spoke to members of the House Intelligence Committee on Friday, addressing the members’ concerns over the hundreds of unmaskings of Americans’ names she requested during her tenure with the Obama administration.
Power is believed to have unmasked more than 260 names last year before and after the 2016 presidential election. However, Power increased the number of “unmaskings” extensively after the 2016 election and before she left her post she was unmasking at a rate of one per day, according to several sources familiar with the investigation who were not authorized to speak on the record.
Power was not seen by the media as she made her way into the Capitol Hill room where the questioning took place, but there are numerous entrances that could have obstructed her from view of the cameras waiting for her outside. She is expected to continue speaking to members until 12:30 p.m.
A U.S. intelligence official with knowledge of unmaskings and who has spent more than two decades working in counterterrorism told Circa that requesting an unmasking is highly unusual and “in my entire career I only conducted two and filed extensive reports stating the reason why.”
“On its face, there appears to be extensive abuse of powers and there should be enormous concern that tools supposed to be used against enemies are now being used for political espionage,” the official added.