Former Obama Official Susan Rice Now Denies Obama Administration Inappropriately Unmasked Trump team

HMM, WASN’T IT JUST A WEEK AGO OR SO THAT RICE SAID SHE KNEW NOTHING OF THIS UNMASKING  …

My what a difference a week, s lot of hot water and even more explaining does when it comes to getting caught in a lie. Former national security adviser Susan Rice is now in full CYA mode as she went on a liberal friendly network categorically denied that the Obama administration inappropriately spied on President Trump or members of his transition team. Really Ms. Rice, now its a denial. Wasn’t it just a couple of weeks ago you knew nothing? So why did you unmask the names again? The unmasking that you claimed to know nothing about, now it appears you ordered it done. She claims the allegations are false. Hmm, just like the Benghazi attack was the result of a video tape, right? YOU HAVE ZERO CREDIBILITY!!! Now Rice claims she leaked nothing. Really, like she would admit to a crime.

Just how did Susan Rice’s story change from her best imitation of Sgt. Schultz of “I know Nothing,” to the Obama administration did nothing wrong? What is shameful is a liberal MSM that is now defending her actions. Imagine, just imagine if it were w GWB White House that did this to Barack Obama?

Former national security adviser Susan Rice on Tuesday categorically denied that the Obama administration inappropriately spied on President Trump or members of his transition team.

“The allegation is that somehow, Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes,” Rice told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “That’s absolutely false.”

Rice had requested that at least one Trump transition team member be “unmasked,” Bloomberg View reported Monday, leading to claims that the Obama White House had intended to use that intelligence to damage Trump’s transition.

While Rice did not deny making any such requests — declining to comment on specific reports — she denied that her actions went outside the scope of her job.

“It was not uncommon, it was necessary at times to make those requests,” she said. “I don’t have a particular recollection of doing that more frequently after the election.”

As Jonathan Turley reminds us … “I Know Nothing About This”: Rice Accused Of Ordering Unmasking Of Trump Aides and Then Lying About Her Knowledge [UPDATED]

The story emerging suggests the White House learned last month that Rice requested the identities of U.S. persons in raw intelligence reports involving Trump staff inadvertently intercepted.  There were reportedly dozens of such requests, suggesting a comprehensive and ongoing effort to unmask aides.  That would constitute a serious privacy abuse and raise troubling questions about the use of intelligence operations for political purposes.

The National Security Council’s senior director for intelligence, Ezra Cohen-Watnick, reportedly discovered Rice’s multiple requests to unmask U.S. persons and raised it with the White House.

U.S. Signals Intelligence Directive (Section 18) only allows unmasking of the identity of U.S persons when it is essential to national security. The question is why the identity of Trump aides satisfied this standard if there was no evidence (as has been reported) of collusion.  Nevertheless, this intent standard is difficult to violate absent a confession or incriminating statement.

However, just last month, Rice  was asked on the “PBS NewsHour” about reports that Trump transition officials, including Trump himself, were swept up in incidental intelligence collection, Rice said: “I know nothing about this,” adding, “I was surprised to see reports from Chairman Nunes on that account today.”

Susan Rice On Unmasking Of Trump Team, ‘I Know Nothing’