Today PRESIDENT Donald J. Trump Was Vindicated – He and his Team have been Surveilled

House Intel Chairman says Trump Team Under Surveillance During Obama Presidency

Rep. Devin Nunes encouraged anyone with information regarding relative topics, including surveillance on President-Elect Trump or his Transition Team to come forward and speak to the House Intelligence Committee.  

Rep. Nunes said that even though there was no actual physical wire-tap of Trump Towers, that he was concerned that other surveillance activities were used against President Trump and his associates.

1. Rep. Nunes has recently confirmed that on numerous occasions the intelligence community incidentally collected information about U.S. Citizens involved in the Trump Transition.

2. Details about  U.S. persons associated with the incoming administration. Details with little or no apparent foreign intelligence value were widely disseminated in intelligence community reporting.

3. Rep. Nunes has confirmed that additional names of Trump Transition Team members were “unmasked.”
   

4. None of the surveillance was related to Russia, or the investigation of Russian activities or of the Trump Team.  The House Intelligence Committee will thoroughly investigate surveillance and its subsequent dissemination to determine:

   1. Who was aware of it?

   2. Why it was not disclosed to Congress?

   3. Who requested and authorized the additional unmasking?

   4. Whether anyone directed the intelligence community to focus on Trump Associates?; and

   5. And whether any laws, regulations or procedures were violated.

5. Rep. Nunes asked the Directors of the FBI, NSA, CIA, to expeditiously comply with his March 15 letter and to provide a full account of these surveillance activities.  He spoke with Speaker Ryan about this new information and will be going to the White House to share with the President and his Team.

The most important information is this:  

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS  FROM THE MEDIA:

• That it is possible that Incidental collection of information, not exactly how it was picked up, communication about the President of the United States was possibly collected.  

• Rep Nunes said that the NSA will hopefully comply.  

• Rep. Nunes will speak  with Director Comey and he’s not sure whether the FBI will comply.

• Rep Nunes believes that it was all done legally. He’s concerned as to Why was it unmasked.  Rep Nunes said that They have information about additional unmaskings. He wants to know Who was on the dissemination list, why was the dissemination list so far? 

• Rep Nunes said that It appears that most of this occurred in November, December, January, during the transition.

• Rep Nunes has seen intelligence reports that clearly show that the President and his team were monitored and disseminated out to intelligences and it appears to intelligence reporting channels.

• Rep Nunes said the Administration is now aware of this and will report to them today.

• Rep Nunes said that None of the information was about Russia or the Russian investigation.  It did not involve Russia or any discussions of Russia.

• It appears that it was legally collected but it was essentially a lot of information on the President-Elect and his Transition Team and what they were doing.

• It appeared to be incidental collection.

• Rep Nunes said that this information was legally brought to him by sources that thought that they should know it and that there was no references in everything I read, in dozens of reports, and there was no mention of Russia. 

• Rep Nunes spoke with Speaker Ryan THIS morning. He put in calls to the directors of CIA and NSA and wants to talk to Director Comey and will be speaking with the White House later.

• Rep Nunes said that clearly there was a lot of information gathered about President-Elect and his Team and there were additional names unmasked.

• Rep Nunes said that this is all classified information and that more information is coming on Friday.

• Rep Nunes said there was nothing related to a criminal investigation. It looked like normal foreign investigation, that’s what is looked like to him.

• Rep Nunes has asked that people come in on their own and provide information on their own, the rest will be through depositions.

• Rep Nunes said he is actually alarmed by this.  We went through this about a year and a half ago as it related to member of Congress.  There was a report in the Wall Street Journal but there was a whole series of hearings with changes on how the members of congress are picked up in surveillance and it  looks very similar to that.

• Rep Nunes said that The White House needs to see it.

• Rep Nunes is really bothered by the unmasking. There were additional names unmasked.

• Were these communications collected from Trump Towers? Rep Nunez does not know yet.

• Do you think the NSA or a member of the intelligence community was spying on Trump? “Well, I guess it all depends on the definition of spying. Will not give a legal definition here, but actually I am really worried.”

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