Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper responded to a memo containing a list of Obama administration officials who received information on “unmasking” former Trump national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, by saying he “doesn’t recall” what prompted the request.
“No, I don’t,” Clapper told CNN’s John Berman Thursday when asked if he remembers why he requested unmasking information on Flynn. “I don’t recall what prompted a request … that was made on my behalf for unmasking. I don’t remember the specifics or what it was in the second report that was suggestive enough that I was concerned and felt that I should know who was actually involved.”
Clapper added that the “general concern” about Flynn’s engagement with Russians during the Trump administration’s transition into the White House was troubling enough to Obama officials to justify investigation.
“There was general concern about the number of engagements with Russians that we were seeing happening,” Clapper said. “We may not necessarily have known what the content of these engagements were, but there were numerous engagements by representatives of the Trump camp with Russians. So, that was of … general concern anyway. So that, I think, is what attracted the attention of me and other then-serving national security officials.”
Clapper: I was unmasking Americans “once or twice a week” but “I don’t recall what prompted a request that was made on my behalf for unmasking” Flynn. pic.twitter.com/Tq0G8HlkhA
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 14, 2020
Clapper was responding to a memo revealed Wednesday that shows former Vice President Joe Biden and other high-level Obama officials, including Clapper, requested Flynn be unmasked during the waning days of the administration.
The memo, declassified by acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, shows 16 individuals made unmasking requests and received the information. Former CIA Director John Brennan, former FBI Director James Comey, and former Obama chief of staff Denis McDonough are named in the memo.
Republicans maintain that Obama officials abused their political power to push a Russia investigation based on flimsy intelligence, while Democrats insist things were done above board as part of routine due diligence.
“It was the greatest political crime in the history of our country,” President Trump told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo Thursday morning regarding the Obama administration’s investigation into Flynn. “If I were a Democrat instead of a Republican, I think everybody would have been in jail a long time ago, and I’m talking with 50-year sentences. It is a disgrace what’s happened. This is the greatest political scam, hoax in the history of our country.”
“People should be going to jail for this stuff, and hopefully, a lot of people are going to have to pay,” Trump continued. “No other president should have to go through, and I’ll tell you, Gen. Flynn and others are heroes, heroes, because what’s happened to them. They weren’t after Gen. Flynn. They wanted him to lie about me. Make up a story.”
