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How The Obama Administration Enabled The Nonstop Security Leaks Against Trump
Epoch Times ^ | 11/30/2023 | Jeff Carlson

Posted on 11/30/2023 9:03:39 PM PST by SeekAndFind

The Obama administration, just 17 days before the inauguration of President Donald Trump, revised the guidelines of Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333, "Procedures for the Availability or Dissemination of Raw Signals Intelligence Information by the National Security Agency."

Although widely overlooked, the implications were broad and far-reaching.

Under the new procedure, agencies and individuals could request the National Security Agency (NSA) for access to specific surveillance simply by claiming the intercepts contain relevant information that's useful to a particular mission.

No privacy protection of the raw data was undertaken. Under the new rules, sharing of information was significantly easier–and the information being shared was raw and unfiltered.

At the time I wondered about the timing of the order. But what I found particularly curious was that it was enacted so late. Allow me to explain.

On Dec. 15, 2016, James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, signed off on Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333. The order was finalized when Attorney General Loretta Lynch signed it on Jan. 3, 2017.

Why the pressing need to rush this order during the final days of his office? An order which allowed for significant expansion in the sharing of raw intelligence amongst agencies.

Was it to enable dissemination of information gathered by those in the Obama administration amongst intelligence agencies? But if so, why was the order not put into place earlier?

Why just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump officially took over the Oval Office?

Crucially, privacy protection of the underlying raw data from the NSA was specifically bypassed by the order. As The New York Times noted at the time, “the new rules significantly relax longstanding limits on what the N.S.A. may do with the information gathered by its most powerful surveillance operations, which are largely unregulated by American wiretapping laws.”

On its face, the rule was supposedly put in place in order to reduce the risk that “the N.S.A. will fail to recognize that a piece of information would be valuable to another agency,” but in reality, it dramatically expanded government officials’ access to the private information of American citizens.

As noted by the NY Times, historically, “the N.S.A. filtered information before sharing intercepted communications with another agency, like the C.I.A. or the intelligence branches of the F.B.I. and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The N.S.A.’s analysts passed on only information they deemed pertinent, screening out the identities of innocent people and irrelevant personal information.”

However, with the Jan. 3, 2017, approval of Section 2.3, and the associated expansion of sharing globally intercepted communications, other intelligence agencies would be able to search “directly through raw repositories of communications intercepted by the N.S.A. and then apply such rules for ‘minimizing’ privacy intrusions.”

When Obama’s new NSA Data Sharing Order was signed, many wondered at the timing and questioned why there was a pressing need to rush an order that allowed for significant expansion in the sharing of raw intelligence among agencies during the final days of his administration.

But as I hinted at during the outset of our discussion, an equally valid question is, why was the order enacted so late? As it turns out, Section 2.3 was reported as being on “the verge” of finalization in late February 2016 as reported by the New York Times, which noted that “Robert S. Litt, the general counsel in the office of the Director of National Intelligence, said that the administration had developed and was fine-tuning what is now a 21-page draft set of procedures to permit the sharing.” It had been anticipated that the order would be finalized by early to mid-2016.

Instead, for reasons that lack official explanations to this day, Section 2.3 was delayed until January 2017. Interestingly, the finalized version signed into effect by President Obama contains a provision relating to “Political Process” that hadn’t been in place in earlier versions.

One of the items within this provision prohibited dissemination of information to the White House. Remember that this provision would not impact President Obama whose administration ended in two weeks. But it would most definitely impact the dissemination of information to the incoming Trump administration.

If this new provision had been implemented in early 2016 as originally scheduled, dissemination of any raw intelligence on or relating to the Trump campaign to officials within the Obama White House would likely have been made more difficult or quite possibly prohibited.

In other words, prior to the January 2017 signing of Section 2.3, it appears that greater latitude existed for officials in the Obama administration to gain access to information. But once the order was signed into effect, Section 2.3 granted greater latitude to interagency sharing of that information.

On July 27, 2017, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), then-chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, sent a letter to the Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats regarding the ongoing leaks of classified information and the need for new unmasking legislation to address the problem.

Mr. Nunes’s letter specifically pointed out officials within the Obama administration, stating that “We have found evidence that current and former government officials had easy access to U.S. person information and that it is possible that they used this information to achieve partisan political purposes, including the selective, anonymous leaking of such information.

Mr. Nunes noted that “one official, whose position had no apparent intelligence-related function, made hundreds of unmasking requests during the final year of the Obama administration.”

Read more here...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: coup; inauguration; obama; obamanation; securityleaks; trump; trumppersecution
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To: Liz

**Obama was at all times fundamentally changing America.**
He still is..
When Clintons were elected, it sent a message.. Our America is in for bad times.
When a man with last name Obama.. Not American and he vouched for it.. Was elected.. Twice.. This nation asked for it.. Elect a man questionable birth place.. Told the world we are not a Christian nation.. Said his favorite sound is the doleful call to prayer.
He Continued to gain mansions and wealth from the country he is fundamentally changing.


21 posted on 12/01/2023 2:08:25 AM PST by frnewsjunkie
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To: frnewsjunkie

Obama gained mansions and wealth from the country he despised
and was committed to fundamentally changing...... for the rest of us.


22 posted on 12/01/2023 2:17:25 AM PST by Liz (Women have tremendous power — their femininity, because men can't do without it. Sidney Sheldon)
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To: Liz

I think God must have thought we lost our minds placing a Muslim in the highest seat of the land.. A person with no allegiance to America.. And full of himself..
It was ‘no way’ the first time I saw him and that sentiment has doubled since then.


23 posted on 12/01/2023 3:02:19 AM PST by frnewsjunkie
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To: linMcHlp

I didn’t think it was possible for me to dislike NAPOLITANO more than I do already, but here he is, proving what a gold star jerk putz he is.

I am sorry his face has turned up on TV. So, I click through each time...I never want to hear what he has to say. He is a closet NeverTrumper and he is usually WRONG about everything.


24 posted on 12/01/2023 3:04:29 AM PST by Maris Crane
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To: Maris Crane

“He is a closet NeverTrumper and he is usually WRONG about everything.”

I don’t recall him ever being in the closet when it comes to being a NeverTrumper. Seems his hatred has been obvious for years. He’s just a creep.

He didn’t even have the decency to be in the closet about his homosexuality. But that’s another story.


25 posted on 12/01/2023 3:14:13 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (As God's children, we live on promises, not explanations - WiersbeIIRC, )
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To: frnewsjunkie

Not only him........his wife has gone on to be a highly paid spox.


26 posted on 12/01/2023 3:48:07 AM PST by Liz (Women have tremendous power — their femininity, because men can't do without it. Sidney Sheldon)
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To: Liz

His inner Kenyan was showing through.


27 posted on 12/01/2023 4:03:53 AM PST by Texas resident (Biden=Obama=Jarrett=Soros)
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To: SeekAndFind

Biden is the third term of the Obama-Biden administration.


28 posted on 12/01/2023 4:05:34 AM PST by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: Texas resident

Obama in Kenya with aunt.

29 posted on 12/01/2023 4:49:57 AM PST by Liz (Women have tremendous power — their femininity, because men can't do without it. Sidney Sheldon)
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To: SeekAndFind; bitt; TomGuy; kvanbrunt2; linMcHlp; citizen; Liz; Chad C. Mulligan; Lazamataz; ...
This subject has been one I did a deep dive on. I created this PDF linked to below in spreadsheet format some years back:

TIMELINE OF THE GOVERNMENTAL ABUSE OF LT. GENERAL MICHAEL FLYNN

It contains a chronological timeline, people involved at each step, analysis by various people, and links to data or documents. Many of those links are still valid. Feel free to download it if you wish.

I did it to help me make sense of the issue. And it sure did that, for me at least, as shown in this graphic below. All these unmasking requests in December 2017 were something that caught my eye. I find it very useful for reference purposes.

Here is one segment of it:

30 posted on 12/01/2023 5:49:50 AM PST by rlmorel ("The stigma for being wrong is gone, as long as you're wrong for the right side." (Clarice Feldman))
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To: rlmorel

Great job....thx.


31 posted on 12/01/2023 5:59:20 AM PST by Liz (Women have tremendous power — their femininity, because men can't do without it. Sidney Sheldon)
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To: All

Furthermore, if you go to the link supplied it on the event of general Flynn‘s testimony in front of Congress on June 10, 2015, and the events of today in the Middle East, it is clear to see why the Left and the Uniparty did everything it could in its power to get rid of General Flynn.

He makes too much damn sense.


32 posted on 12/01/2023 6:02:17 AM PST by rlmorel ("The stigma for being wrong is gone, as long as you're wrong for the right side." (Clarice Feldman))
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To: Liz

I put it together in that fashion, because I am generally a chronological person, and things make more sense to me when seen in the timeline.

I found that when I was looking at this issue, it is really easy to get confused to go back-and-forth over the same thing over and over again, often having to refined the article, you were looking at before to do comparisons and such

This really helped me understand it. When you look at this document that I created, I believe in any thinking person, it is impossible to ignore the fact that there was a concerted effort by the outgoing administration, to sabotage the incoming administration, and doing so with the full weaponization of all governmental assets available.

Bending the law, where it was possible to do so, making the law to make it legal, if possible, and breaking the law, were neither bending, nor creating law or viable options.


33 posted on 12/01/2023 6:06:47 AM PST by rlmorel ("The stigma for being wrong is gone, as long as you're wrong for the right side." (Clarice Feldman))
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To: rlmorel

Great job by rlmorel——When you look at his document (above), it is impossible to ignore the facts:
<><> there was a concerted effort by the outgoing administration,
<><>to sabotage the incoming administration,
<><>using the full weaponization of all govt assets available.


34 posted on 12/01/2023 6:10:41 AM PST by Liz (Women have tremendous power — their femininity, because men can't do without it. Sidney Sheldon)
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To: rlmorel
Kudos, and thank you for the PDF.

I had been convinced that Flynn would be hugely harassed from an early, YouTube-captured interview in which he stated clearly that Islam was a civilizational problem for the world in general, and for the United States in particular. This was still during the Obama administration. It proved my premonition from that time on accurate. The administrative state -- "burrowed" in by Clinton and Obama loyalists -- has proven itself as un-American in attacking so many it deems political opponents sing the resources of the federal and state systems.

Were I magically to become president, I would appoint Gen. Flynn head of DoD immediately. He is a patriot with clear vision.

35 posted on 12/01/2023 6:17:39 AM PST by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: Worldtraveler once upon a time

I am with you 100% on this, and for me, it jibes closely with the reasons I want Trump back in the White House in 2024, even if it is a lame duck Presidential term.

There is no man so zealous in pursuit of justice as those who have been subjected to injustice.

And that encompasses both Trump and Flynn. They both were caught in and chewed up by the inner workings of these insurrectionists in both parties, but specifically on the Left.

Flynn, in particular, made the mistake of thinking the FBI was on his side working against the same enemy, as did Trump.

Neither will make that mistake again if given the chance.


36 posted on 12/01/2023 6:27:30 AM PST by rlmorel ("The stigma for being wrong is gone, as long as you're wrong for the right side." (Clarice Feldman))
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To: rlmorel

General Flynn would make a fine Vice President, Attorney General, Secretary of Defense, or Secretary of State.


37 posted on 12/01/2023 7:20:29 AM PST by unlearner (I, Robot: I think I finally understand why Dr. Lanning created me... ;-)
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To: unlearner

I want Kash Patel as Attorney General...:)


38 posted on 12/01/2023 7:49:12 AM PST by rlmorel ("The stigma for being wrong is gone, as long as you're wrong for the right side." (Clarice Feldman))
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To: rlmorel

Now that’s a great idea he knows how the system worked and who did it.

Obama wasn’t a president he was a plant to keep the the mask on the real players.


39 posted on 12/01/2023 8:10:39 AM PST by Vaduz (....)
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To: Vaduz

Yes. I am a big fan of Kash Patel.

I have watched many interviews of him, he is sharp, has experience as a trial lawyer, knows how things currently work in intelligence, and is a Constitutionalist.

He is most definitely on our side. I think of him as the GOOD counterpart to Marc Elias.


40 posted on 12/01/2023 8:15:56 AM PST by rlmorel ("The stigma for being wrong is gone, as long as you're wrong for the right side." (Clarice Feldman))
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