(08-06-2017 11:55 AM)tanqtonic Wrote:  There is NO reason for Power to make *any* unmasking request. Let alone hundreds.

It is highly atypical for people in Rice's position to make unmasking requests. To the point that people who have operated in that specific environment say that is not ever done.

Couple this with the fact that unmasking requests tripled from 2015 to 2016.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/44...bi-cia-nsa

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/44...telligence

Quote: Nevertheless, were a pattern of unmasking established, divorced from any proper foreign-intelligence purpose, that would be a profound abuse of power

But hey, forget that. Let's focus solely on shaking a Russian diplomat's hand at the Republican convention. *That* is the real abuse....

The pattern shown by whom requested the unmasking, and the opening of the floodgates with respect who would be allowed access to this type of information is a fundamental change in the flow (and potential use or misuse) of this information.

Considering the Obama administration oversaw and probably directed to the use of the IRS in a blatantly political manner, that is another cog here.

There is plenty of weird as **** items happening in the unmasking story. Enough that has me concerned. But as I said, more sinister is meeting the Russian ambassador on the floor of the Republican convention. But the same people who want to untrun every stone in that matter, and see sinister bugaboos in every name that sounds like it came out of 'War and Peace', to be blunt, seemingly turn a blind eye to this as "partisan".

Look, I say investigate the Russian issue, put it to bed in one way or another. I'm also saying there is the smell of **** coming out of this that deserves the same attention, especially with the implication of this being used for political purposes.

Replying here because it was the first mention of IRS that popped up on the search function.

News coming out after a new report was released by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration which shows that liberal groups were also targeted by the IRS for auditing, and it appears that there was not a disproportionate amount of conservative groups targeted. This report is more thorough than the initial one which made all of the hullabaloo and should put an end to the idea that the IRS was being told by Obama to target conservative groups and not liberal groups.

It can be argued that perhaps it was still wrong to target liberal groups as well, but I don't think preliminarily screening all tax exempt applicants via their name is the worst idea in the world.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost...50021d8ea5

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/us...s.amp.html