19 Jan 2018 4:13 pm
Nunes-Led Committee Asked For American “Unmaskings”
The House Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) engaged in "unmasking" requests similar to those Nunes has since characterized as an abuse of power, The Washington Post reported Friday.
Late last year, Nunes' panel asked U.S. spy agencies to unmask or reveal the names of Americans in classified intelligence reports, according to the Post.
A tally by U.S. spy agencies found the panel made five to six requests pertaining to U.S. organizations or individuals related to the campaigns of President Trump and Hillary Clinton.
In May, Nunes said he was "very concerned" about unmasking requests by the Obama administration, and called for "major changes" to federal law guiding who can unmask U.S. citizens.
Nunes' recused himself in early April from the House investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election amid a House ethics probe into whether he divulged classified information.
Despite that, he has continued working on the investigation into unmasking attempts by Rice and other Obama White House officials.