U.S. spy chief orders changes in 'unmasking' policy

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

#U.S. DECEMBER 8, 2017 / 5:15 AM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO

Exclusive: U.S. spy chief orders changes in 'unmasking' policy

Warren Strobel, Jonathan Landay
5 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. intelligence official has ordered tighter restrictions on how the names of Americans kept secret in intelligence reports can be revealed during presidential transitions, according to documents seen by Reuters.

The move follows unsubstantiated charges by President Donald Trump and his allies that his predecessor’s administration spied on Trump and improperly “unmasked” the identities of his associates during the 2016 presidential campaign and transition.

Current and former senior U.S. intelligence officials who have reviewed the documentation dispute those claims by the president.

In September, the U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing that it had no evidence to support the president’s claim that President Barack Obama ordered surveillance of his Trump Tower campaign headquarters.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-surveillance-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-spy-chief-orders-changes-in-unmasking-policy-idUSKBN1E217J

[mn9driver]

1. This is the Trump administration trying to take control of our intelligence services.

At the end of the article:

“If this executive order is implemented as written, or worse if it’s written into law, it is not only an infringement on the political independence of the intelligence community, but it will endanger our ability to work with our allies, who may fear we’ve been drafted into a political party,” said one U.S. official familiar with the issue, speaking on condition of anonymity.”

In simple terms, this implies that,as written, this modification will allow the President to decide whether to unmask conversations collected without a warrant SPECIFICALLY if they involve members of a transition team for a president-elect that he just lost to.

What could possibly go wrong?