A newly declassified document released Wednesday shows that presumptive democrat presidential nominee and former vice president Joe Biden requested the unmasking of former Trump's national security advisor Michael Flynn.
Unmasking is the process through which authorized top U.S. government officials can get information about an American citizen mentioned in a classified foreign intelligence report. It is illegal to leak this information to the public.
Michael Flynn then an incoming national security adviser, had a call with then Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Information about this call was leaked to the media around the time that Biden made his unmasking request. Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, mentioned the call in a Jan. 12, 2017 column.
The leak is a subject of investigation by U.S. Attorney John Durham who was appointed by Attorney General William Barr to investigate the origins of the Russia probe. This means that Biden and others who made the unmasking requests are potential suspects.
Barr implied in an interview Thursday that Durham is prepared to prosecute former intelligence community officials if evidence shows they illegally leaked classified information and surveilled the 2016 Trump campaign over allegations of collusion with Russia.
The documents released today states “Below is a list of recipients who may have received Lt. Gen Flynn’s identity in response to a request processed between 8 November 2016 and 31 January 2017 to unmask an identity that had been generically referred to in an NSA foreign intelligence report.”
The list includes other top Obama administration officials: John Brennan(CIA), Jim Clapper(ODNI), James Comey(FBI). Samantha Power(UN) and former Obama White house chief of staff McDonough.
The list was released today by Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley days after it was declassified by the Director of national intelligence Richard Grenell.
Biden audibly sighed on ABC Sunday, as TV host Stephanopoulos asked what he knew about the early 2017 investigation into Flynn. He deflected the question and pivoted to attacking President Trump.
"I know nothing about those moves to investigate Michael Flynn," the former vice president said. "This is all about diversion. This is a game this guy plays all the time. The country is in crisis. ... He should stop trying to always divert attention from the real concerns of the American people.”
Stephanopoulos followed up, noting that the former vice president was said to be in attendance at the early January 2017 meeting. Biden reversed himself, "I was aware that there was, that they asked for an investigation, but that's all I know about it."
Reacting to release of the declassified document, Senator Rand Paul told Fox news, "I think this is astonishing that Vice President Biden and really, all of President Obama's inner circle individually were requesting the unmasking of a political opponent ... This is a ... smoking gun if there ever was one. That Vice President Biden was using the power of government, abusing that power to go after a political opponent. Essentially, unmasking someone is the equivalent of illegally wiretapping them."
DOJ dropped it's case against Mchael Flynn in a filing last week. According to the filing signed by Timothy Shea, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, the DOJ concluded after “an extensive review and careful consideration of the circumstances ... continued prosecution of this case would not serve the interests of justice.”
The Judge in charge of the case, Emmet Sullivan controversially delayed decision on the case in a minute order he released on Tuesday.