Is it legal to unmask American citizens if there is not a national security interest involved in the intercepted communication?
Would the original agency be required to do that if there was no national security interest, or could/must they refuse someone who was authorized to request an unmasking but was doing so for non-national-security reasons? (i.e. Rice)
Was she in a position to legally have seen the original intercepts before masking? That is confusing since some reports are saying she requested the unmasking, others are saying she did it herself, which would mean she knew the identities from the initial surveillance.
Thanks, O2
“Is it legal to unmask American citizens if there is not a national security interest involved in the intercepted communication?”
A National Security Adviser can ask for the unmasking over passing national security curiosity.
What they are forbidden to do is distribute to anyone without a need to know.