Last week it was rumored that acting DNI chief Richard Grenell had walked into the DOJ building with a briefcase with declassified documents. It is now being reported that one such document is the list of Obama administration officials who unmasked Gen Michael Flynn. Normally, unmasking someone is not a criminal offense unless it’s done for political purposes. No doubt you could make the case that unmasking Flynn was very political.
The excuse given was that he was talking to former Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. But members of the State or Intelligence community under a new president always talks with important counterparts before a new president takes office. Obama’s did. It would be malfeasance if they didn’t. You do not want to start a new administration and having to start by scratch. It could be months before you caught up.
But, the unmasking was not the most serious crime that was committed. Someone in the loop gave classified information to a WaPo reporter. That is a major felony and can get you charged under the Espionage Act. Now, while it is true that Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, they threatened to throw his son in prison if he didn’t. As a parent, would you plead guilty under such circumstances?
ABC News cited an unnamed senior U.S. official who told the network that Grenell had the list with him during a visit to the Department of Justice during a visit last week.
The outlet noted that “Grenell’s visit came the same week that Attorney General William Barr moved to dismiss the criminal case against Flynn following his guilty plea for lying to the FBI about his conversations with [former Russian ambassador Sergey] Kislyak.”
The Daily Wire reported that a source informed them “that the list has already been declassified and now it’s on Attorney General William Barr to release the list.”
The Daily Caller explained:
Unmasking refers to a process where top U.S. officials can request information on American citizens picked up during electronic surveillance of foreigners. Flynn was unveiled as taking part in a Dec. 29, 2016 phone [call] with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador.
It is not illegal for U.S. officials to make unmasking requests. But the information on Flynn was leaked to The Washington Post, opening up the possibility that someone in the Obama administration illegally disclosed classified information.