Ben Rhodes
Emerging as ‘Person of Interest’ in House Intelligence Committee Unmasking
Probe
by Kristina Wong 1 Aug 2017
Former Obama
White House National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes
is emerging as a person of interest in the House Intelligence Committee’s
unmasking investigation, according to a letter obtained by Circa.
The letter sent from the House intelligence committee to
the National
Security Agency (NSA) on Tuesday requests the number of unmaskings
made by Rhodes between Jan. 1, 2016 to Jan. 20, 2017, congressional
sources told Circa.
The committee is requesting that the NSA deliver the
information on Rhodes by August 21.
Unmasking refers to the practice of having the identity
of an American caught up in surveillance of a foreign target revealed. Their
names are hidden — or masked — because U.S. intelligence agencies are
prohibited from spying on Americans.
An intelligence consumer, however, can request that an
American’s name be unmasked, or revealed, through a formal process. House
Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes recently said in a letter to
Director for National Intelligence Dan Coats that Obama aides made “hundreds”
of requests in their final year in office.
Some of the unmaskings were followed by leaks in the
press, he said. While unmasking is not illegal, leaking classified intelligence
is illegal.
Nunes has been conducting an investigation to see whether
Americans — including Trump campaign associates — were improperly unmasked
before and after the election.
Nunes said in the letter to Coats that the committee has
“found evidence that current and former government officials had easy access to
U.S. person information and that it is possible that they used this information
to achieve partisan political purposes, including the selective, anonymous
leaking of such information.”
U.S. officials told Circa on condition of anonymity that
the intelligence reports included some intercepts of Americans talking to
foreigners and many more involving foreign leaders talking about the future
president, his campaign associates, or his transition team. They noted that
most of the intercepts had little to do with the Russian election interference
scandal, and some appeared to have nothing to do with national security.
The intelligence panel has requested information related
to its investigation on unmasking for former National Security Advisor Susan Rice,
former CIA Director John Brennan, and former U.S. Ambassador to
the United Nations Samantha Power.
An intelligence source, with direct knowledge of the type
of requests made by the Obama aides, told Circa:
It’s like hell and high water to fill out and gain
approval for these types of unmaskings. It’s something analysts take seriously
and could entail filling out 80 pages of paperwork to prove there is a need to
unmask. If top officials were unmasking without oversight it’s something
everyone should be concerned about and it puts our intelligence community in a
very bad place.
During his last year in office, the Obama administration significantly expanded efforts to search National
Security Agency intercepts for information about Americans, according to a
previous Circa report.
According to data from the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence, government officials conducted 30,355 searches in 2016
seeking information about Americans in NSA intercept meta-data, which include
telephone numbers and email addresses.
The activity was a 27.5% increase over the prior year and
more than triple the 9,500 such searches that occurred in 2013, the first year
such data was kept, the report said.
In 2016 the administration searched for data related to
5,288 Americans — an increase of 13 percent over the prior year.
Ben Rhodes
Benjamin J.
Rhodes is a co-author for Without
Precedent, David Rhodes’s
brother, was a special assistant to the president for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and a deputy
national security adviser for the Barack
Obama administration.
Note: Lee H. Hamilton is
a co-author for Without Precedent,
an honorary trustee for the Brookings
Institution (think tank), David F.
Hamilton’s uncle, and was a president & director Woodrow
Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution
(think tank), the International
Rescue Committee, the Harlem
Children's Zone, and the Aspen Institute (think tank).
George Soros
was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a
benefactor for the Harlem Children's
Zone, and is a board member for the International
Crisis Group.
Susan E. Rice was
a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the former
U.S. ambassador to UN, White House national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration.
Cass R. Sunstein
is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and
married to Samantha Power.
Samantha Power
is married to Cass R. Sunstein, was
a board member for the International
Crisis Group, United Nations
U.S. ambassador, and a director at the International
Rescue Committee.
International
Rescue Committee is a partner with the ONE
Campaign.
Michael R.
Bloomberg was an advocate for the ONE
Campaign, a benefactor for the Harlem
Children's Zone, and is the founder of Bloomberg
LP.
David Rhodes was
the head of US television for Bloomberg
LP, and is Benjamin J. Rhodes’s
brother.
Benjamin J.
Rhodes is David Rhodes’s brother,
a co-author for Without Precedent,
was a special assistant to the president for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and a deputy
national security adviser for the Barack
Obama administration.
Thomas H. Kean is
a co-author for Without Precedent,
and the chairman for the Carnegie
Corporation of New York.
Newton N. Minow
is an honorary trustee at the Carnegie
Corporation of New York, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama
was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP,
and an advocate for the ONE Campaign.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP, and the attorney for ACORN vs.
Illinois State Board of Elections.
Association
of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) was the plaintiff in ACORN
vs. Illinois State Board of Elections.
David F. Hamilton
was a canvasser for the Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), and is Lee H. Hamilton’s nephew.
Sidley Austin
LLP was the legal adviser for the Association
of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).
R. Eden Martin is
counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and
the president of the Commercial Club of
Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Members Directory A-Z (Past
Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Robert S. Osborne
is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an EVP & general
counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
James R. Clapper
was an executive director, military intelligence programs at Booz Allen Hamilton, and a director at
the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence.
Melissa Hathaway
was a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton,
and a cyber coordination executive for the Office
of the Director of National Intelligence.
John Michael
McConnell was a director at the Office
of the Director of National Intelligence, and is a senior executive adviser
& former vice chairman for Booz
Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
R. James Woolsey
was a VP for Booz Allen Hamilton,
and a director for the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA).
John O. Brennan
was a director for the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), and a chairman for the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.
Joan A. Dempsey
was a deputy director at the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), a director at the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, and is an EVP for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Keith R. Hall was
a director at the Intelligence and
National Security Alliance, and a VP for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Garnett R.
Stowe Jr. was a director at the Intelligence
and National Security Alliance, and a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen Hamilton
is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
Robert S. Osborne
is an EVP & general counsel for Booz
Allen Hamilton, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
James S.
Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the vice
chairman for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Lester Crown
is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a VP at
the Crown Family Foundation, and was
a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Jane Lakes Harman
is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the president & CEO for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Benjamin J.
Rhodes was a special assistant to the president for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars, a deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration, is David Rhodes’s brother, and a co-author for Without Precedent.
Thomas H. Kean is
a co-author for Without Precedent,
and the chairman for the Carnegie
Corporation of New York.
Newton N. Minow
is an honorary trustee at the Carnegie
Corporation of New York, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of
the Crown Family Foundation.
Lester Crown
is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a VP at the Crown Family Foundation, and was a
lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
James S.
Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the vice
chairman for the Aspen Institute (think tank).
Jane Lakes Harman
is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and the president & CEO for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Benjamin J.
Rhodes was a special assistant to the president for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars, a deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration, is David Rhodes’s brother, and a co-author for Without Precedent.
Thomas H. Kean is
a co-author for Without Precedent,
and the chairman for the Carnegie
Corporation of New York.
Newton N. Minow
is an honorary trustee at the Carnegie
Corporation of New York, a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama
was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP,
and an advocate for the ONE Campaign.
International
Rescue Committee is a partner with the ONE
Campaign.
Michael R.
Bloomberg was an advocate for the ONE
Campaign, a benefactor for the Harlem
Children's Zone, and is the founder of Bloomberg
LP.
David Rhodes was
the head of US television for Bloomberg
LP, and is Benjamin J. Rhodes’s
brother.
Benjamin J.
Rhodes is David Rhodes’s
brother, a co-author for Without
Precedent, was a special assistant to the president for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars, and a deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration.
Lee H. Hamilton is
a co-author for Without Precedent,
an honorary trustee for the Brookings
Institution (think tank), David F.
Hamilton’s uncle, a member of the Homeland
Security Advisory Council, and was a president & director Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars.
Frances
Fragos Townsend was a member of the Homeland
Security Advisory Council, and the chair for the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.
Joan A. Dempsey
was a director at the Intelligence and
National Security Alliance, a deputy director at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and is an EVP for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Keith R. Hall was
a director at the Intelligence and
National Security Alliance, and a VP for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Garnett R.
Stowe Jr. was a director at the Intelligence
and National Security Alliance, and a principal at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen Hamilton
is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
Robert S. Osborne
is an EVP & general counsel for Booz
Allen Hamilton, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Garnett R.
Stowe Jr. was a principal at Booz
Allen Hamilton, and a director at the Intelligence
and National Security Alliance.
R. James Woolsey
was a VP for Booz Allen Hamilton,
and a director for the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA).
John O. Brennan
was a director for the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), and a chairman for the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.
Charles E. Allen
was an assistant director for the Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA), a director at the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, the undersecretary for
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,
and is a principal at the Chertoff Group.
Michael Chertoff
was a secretary for the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security, is a co-founder & chairman for the Chertoff Group, and the chairman for BAE Systems Inc.
BAE Systems plc
is a subsidiary of BAE Systems Inc.,
and the producer of components for Nuclear
weapons.
Lee H. Hamilton is
a director at BAE Systems Inc., an
honorary trustee for the Brookings
Institution (think tank), David F.
Hamilton’s uncle, a member of the Homeland
Security Advisory Council, a co-author for Without Precedent, and was a president & director Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars.
Benjamin J.
Rhodes is a co-author for Without
Precedent, David Rhodes’s
brother, was a special assistant to the president for the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and a deputy
national security adviser for the Barack
Obama administration.
No comments:
Post a Comment