The NSA list of people asking that a name be unmasked which turned out to be Michael Flynn

By Robert Willmann

Released today is a list from the National Security Agency of officials who asked -- between 8 November 2016 and 31 January 2017 -- that a name be unmasked in intercepted communications, and the name turned out to be Gen. Michael Flynn--

https://turcopolier.typepad.com/files/michaelflynn_nsa_unmasking_requests.pdf

Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, the Director of the NSA, included the list with a short memo to Richard Grenell, the Acting Director of National Intelligence, who declassified the list and then routed it today to U.S. Senators Charles Grassley and Ron Johnson.

I think the senators should have asked for a wider time frame.

 

Comments

[Fred]

TTG,

You're an expert in the art of information operations with years of US government experience behind you: I'm a guy who was invited to blog here and carry no "weight" to my insights on the art due to my experience in military service or civilian employment. Some inuendo in a post of mine isn't going to have the impact one of yours is; or perhaps it does?

"Getting paid half a million through a cutout and a circuitous transfer route "

When was he made aware of that, or did he know it up front? I think that is rather important and how is some consultant to conclude a company is a cut-out or not?

"Under penalty of perjury" I believe all plea agreements include that language. Was he knowingly making a false statement of fact - agreeing that he lied to the FBI as charged while knowing he was innocent all the time, or coming to a false legal conclusion - based on the advise of lawyers from Covington & Burling - who did not demand it from the FBI and DOJ - who witheld it from his new lawyer - Sydney Powell?

"...most unmaskings are requested by intelligence analysts. I’d also be interested to see who is requesting all those unmaskings and the nature of the reports that triggered all those requests."

I agree whole heartedly. It looks like an explosion of requests since Brennan started close collaboration between FBI and NCTC and which had contracting out to the company he founded, TAC. upstream queries under FISA Section 702 went from under 10,000 in 2013 to 30,000 in 2016. I wonder what they were when Romeny ran for office and if they pulled similar stunts on Senate and Congressional races?
https://icontherecord.tumblr.com/transparency/odni_transparencyreport_cy2016
Also,
See here:
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/05/the_emotheremsecrets_inside_grenells_satchel_are_the_key_to_the_biggest_political_scandal_in_us_history.html

[The Twisted Genius]

Fred,

Don't sell yourself short on your skill at the art of innuendo. You do just fine.

Flynn could very well have been unaware of how much his Turkey Project was tied to Erdogan's government when it was first proposed. His business partner, Kian, could have been playing him for a gullible rube. However, on 19 September 2016, Flynn, Kian and Alptekin (head of the Inovo B.V., Flynn’s ostensible client) met with two Turkish government officials in NYC to discuss Gulen. If Flynn didn't figure it out by then, he's truly a grade A moron. But that could be. I bet he also suffered from delusions of grandeur and invincibility thinking he was a real Billy Badass from JSOC. It's a common affliction there.

Those rampant unmaskings and easily approved FISA warrants are a serious problem. The situation is a far cry from the first time I heard of a FISA warrant. Back in the late 90s, I represented the DIA collection side at regular interagency meetings on MOONLIGHT MAZE. For many weeks, we'd hear of the FBI's progress, or lack of progress, in getting a warrant to look at a single US-based server that the Russians were using. I think it took almost two months of back and forth justification before the warrant was granted. There were no rubber stamps back then. Of course, this was when NSA people would run from the room whenever CIA or DIA would bring up a CONUS-based collection operation. They wanted absolutely nothing to do with US persons. They viewed it as akin to child molestation. God, how the times have changed.

[Fred]

TTG,

An update. Looks like Grenell is making changes at NCTC.
https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/2117-acting-dni-grenell-announces-organizational-changes-to-national-counterterrorism-center