The odd nature of today's version of "Bill Hemmer Reports" on Fox News

[Sandy Shanks]

The officials from the Obama administration purportedly sought to "unmask" Trump adviser Michael Flynn in late 2016 and early 2017 – a practice used to identify a U.S. person who is anonymously referred to in intelligence documents that reveal Americans speaking to agents of a foreign power. The Americans are not being surveilled. The foreign agents are, and the Americans get caught. Unmasking Americans speaking to agents of a foreign power, especially a hostile foreign power like Russia, is legitimate tool belonging to the President and his intelligence agencies.

In December 2016, President Obama announced punishing economic sanctions against Russia in retaliation for its email thefts and other actions taken to help elect Donald Trump. The purpose of the sanctions was to let Russia know that its election operation, which had been undertaken with Trump’s encouragement, would not be rewarded.

Michael Flynn, Trump’s incoming national security adviser, wanted to send a very different message to the Russians. In a secret conversation with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, Flynn reassured the Russian that the incoming administration would steer U.S.-Russia relations in a different direction. Obama was trying to punish Russia for its act, and Flynn was trying to undermine the punishment.

Putin agreed to take up the matter with the incoming administration. Failure to retaliate against the American sanctions was a first for Putin.
Trump Frees Russia Probe Criminal, Then Gloats With Putin

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Among them are Biden, former White House chief of staff Denis McDonough, former FBI director James Comey, former CIA director John Brennan and former director of national intelligence James Clapper.

Now someone tell me what these officials did wrong. If anything?

No Trumpet, so far,has been able to answer that question.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

Unmasking an American citizen is considering spying on them and violation of their constitutional rights. Leaking his name to the press is also illegal. No due process was allowed.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

You do realize that surveillance of an American citizen requires a warrant, right?

Unmasking is not synonymous with surveillance.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

You do realize that surveillance of an American citizen requires a warrant, right?

Unmasking is not synonymous with surveillance.

Unmasking results in the identity of the American citizen being revealed which is then considered surveillance because no warrant was issued by a court, which they had no right to do, especially leaking his name to the press.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Trump's lawyer, William Barr who doubles as the Attorney General, moved to dismiss charges against Michael Flynn, Trump's first national security adviser. Flynn pleaded guilty in December 2017 to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the former Russian ambassador to the U.S. Two years later Flynn asked the court to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea, citing the government's "bad faith, vindictiveness and breach of the plea agreement."

In a motion filed in U.S. district court, Barr's prosecutors asked the judge to dismiss the single count of making false statements to the FBI, claiming the government concluded that the FBI's interview of Flynn "was untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI's counterintelligence investigation."

In others words. Trump's lawyer is claiming that Flynn's illegal phone call to a Russian agent was insufficient cause for a criminal investigation. Trump fired Flynn in February 2017 less than a month after appointing him his NSA.

Amid a global pandemic, Trump's priorities are on full display. With the federal workforce under an unprecedented amount of pressure, Trump chose to engage in his latest, dangerous round of spring cleaning Friday night when he decided to remove State Department Inspector General Steve Linick.

Linick is the fourth IG or acting IG to be removed by Trump in six weeks.

There is an aggressive new White House campaign to improve America's perceptions of Donald J. Trump. Taking into consideration his past performances, he is going to need a new image.

However, Donald will always be Donald, and he does not take kindly helpful advice.

 

[Sandy Shanks]

Fox reported recently, "President Trump on Thursday pressed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham to call former President Barack Obama to testify amid new developments surrounding the origins of the Russia investigation and efforts at the time to "unmask" Michael Flynn's name in intelligence reports."

“If I were a Senator or Congressman, the first person I would call to testify about the biggest political crime and scandal in the history of the USA, by FAR, is former President Obama,” Trump tweeted. “He knew EVERYTHING.”

Trump can't even tell us what the crime is. Nor can any of his fans as thread has shown.

Conclusion: Trump may be stupid enough to call for Obama to testify before the Senate, but Graham is not nearly that stupid. Trump's incredibly moronic statement was meant strictly for his cult.

They believe everything he says. To them, Trump is the messiah.

 

[Syriusly]

The unmasking of a name like that in and of itself is a crime. It's not "done all the time."

I guess Trump is going to jail then

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that in 2019, the Trump administration had 10,012 unmasking requests fulfilled; 16,721 requests fulfilled in 2018, and 9,529 requests fulfilled in 2017.