Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham on Tuesday called for the Trump administration to release the identities of Obama-era officials who sought to unmask members of the president’s campaign and transition team.
In a letter to acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell and Attorney General William P. Barr, Mr. Graham asked to make public the names of any Obama administration officials involved in unmasking.
“Given the extensive number of requests for the unmasking of General Flynn’s name during this short time period, it raises the question of whether these or other officials sought the unmasking of the identities of other individuals associated with the Trump campaign or transition team,” Mr. Graham, South Carolina Republican, wrote.
Unmasking is a term the intelligence community uses to refer to revealing the identity of an individual on monitored communications. Usually, the individual unmasked is a U.S. citizen involved in contacts with a foreigner or foreign government.
Last week. Mr. Grenell and Mr. Barr released the names of roughly 40 Obama-era officials who sought to unmask Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser. The names made public include former Vice President Joseph R. Biden and former President Obama’s chief of staff, though it is not clear if any of them actually received the information.
Mr. Graham said he wants the name of any official who requested to unmask Mr. Trump, members of his family, or campaign associates Carter Page, Kellyanne Conway, Sam Clovis, Chris Christie and George Papadopoulos.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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