Bob Woodward: Obama Officials Possibly Facing Criminal Charges for Unmasking Scheme

During an interview on Fox News, Woodward said that if that information about the unmasking is true, “it is a gross violation.”
<snip>
“You can learn all kinds of things from diplomats gossiping, because that’s what occurs. Under the rules, and they are pretty strict, it’s called minimization. You don’t name the American person who is being discussed,” Woodward said.
He noted that there are about 20 people in the intelligence community who, for intelligence reasons, can order this “minimization” be removed.
“But the idea that there was intelligence value here is really thin,” Woodward said. “It’s, again, down the middle, it is not what Trump said, but this could be criminal on the part of people who decided, oh, let’s name these people.”
www.washingtonexaminer.com/woodward-obama-officials-possibly-facing-criminal-charges/article/2618185

I found it interesting to watch this exchange again given the news from yesterday:

Time to Investigate Obama, not Just Trump
A fair amount of this happened not long before Barack Obama suddenly changed the rules regarding raw intelligence, for the first time ever allowing the NSA to share its data with 16 other intelligence agencies, thus making the dissemination of said data (i. e. leaking) many times more likely.  That was done on January 12, 2017, just three scant days before Trump’s inauguration.  Why did the then president finally decide to make that particular change at that extremely late date, rather than on one of the previous seven years and three hundred fifty-three days of his presidency?  You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes or Watson to smell a rat.  Something’s rotten somewhere — and it’s not Denmark.
Whether Barack Obama ordered the surveillance of Donald Trump during the transition is not the question.  He would never have had to. In fact, he would have been highly unlikely to have done so for obvious legal and practical/political reasons.  Instead, supporters of the then president in a position to authorize or activate such surveillance would normally know or assume his wishes anyway without having to be told and could act accordingly.
That is the way of the world since there was a world.
The operative question is whether these recorded conversations then ever wound up on Obama’s desk or whether he knew about them in some other manner… and, if so, when. If the worst is true, it is a scandal that makes Watergate seem like a child’s prank.  Even Watergate’s own Bob Woodward seemed to acknowledge as much on The O’Reilly Factor on Wednesday night.
pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2017/03/22/time-to-investigate-obama-not-just-trump/
 
h/t Daniel Higdon

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6 thoughts on “Bob Woodward: Obama Officials Possibly Facing Criminal Charges for Unmasking Scheme”

  1. Trump was/is being surveilled just like EVERY OTHER US Citizen & World Leader 24/7/365! Why does he cry about it so? If it’s good enough for Everyone else, well whats HIS PROBLEM? It’s not like he wants to stop tapping Us. Good for the Goose, good for the Gander! Stop whining, and STOP the Surveillance. Problem solved, easy, peasy!

    Reply
      • Dude, this started under Bushjr. heaping ALL this BS on Obama is just scapegoating for Bushjr./Cheney. Jail them ALL, Trump too! If ALL he can do complain about His being tapped, and not Every US Citizen too. What about the REST of US under surveillance 24/7/365? Start at the root and work up to Obama, then maybe Trump too. If he too, refuses to undo this Surveillance State.

        Reply
  2. Why does everyone assert that Trumps “statement” about Obama ordering the tap” may be over the line”?
    The slimy sleazebag Obama has shown repeatedly that he had no qualms about using the power of the intelligence agencies to spy on people, including Merkel and Rosen. The sleazebag has also shown he has no respect for the Constitution with his numerous illegal EO’s and had no hesitation lying to the American people.
    I have no doubt Obama either ordered the surveillance or mumbled to one of his crooked aides “Gee, I wonder what’s going on over at Trump’s office?”

    Reply
  3. Bozo is guilty….100% and should rot in jail for this. He and hill had a deal….and she got her hand in this cookie jar…so does Jarrett and Lynch. They ALL have to be indicted. This is not good for America to be punched in the belly and betrayed like this without someone paying for it.

    Reply

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