House Intel chair made requests to unmask Americans: report

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.

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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.

This week, Nunes served subpoenas to the CIA, FBI and NSA over unmasking requests by Obama administration officials including former national security adviser Susan Rice, CIA Director John Brennan and United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power. 

Nunes has said he’s “very concerned” about accusations that Rice asked for the identities of certain U.S. citizens incidentally surveilled by intelligence agencies to be “unmasked” in reports delivered to her. Rice characterizes these requests as “not uncommon” and “absolutely not for any political purpose, to spy, expose, anything.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has called Nunes’ continued work on the probe “beneath the dignity” of his position as chair of the House Intelligence Committee. 

“If he recused himself on subject Russia, then he shouldn’t be having access to documents relating to subject Russia,” Pelosi said Friday.