This timeline is great, but it should also include the info about Obama changing the information-sharing rules among the intel agencies in the midst of the transition. This is what allowed political operatives to gain access to information that they could selectively leak. Or, better put, this is what allowed the political operatives who leaked the information to feel secure in knowing that there were now so MANY people with access to the info that they would not be found out to have leaked it.
This is from the NY Times on January 12, 2017:
In its final days, the Obama administration has expanded the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the government’s 16 other intelligence agencies before applying privacy protections.
On December 15, 2016 – after President Trump’s election – Director of National Intelligence Clapper executed a document titled “Procedures for the Availability or Dissemination of Raw Signals Intelligence Information by the National Security Agency Under Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333.”
On January 3, 2017 – just days before President Trump’s inauguration – then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch executed the document, indicating her approval.
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.
Those are interesting dates. Add these (from the Exhibits to DOJ’s motion to dismiss the Flynn case):
Jan 3 - FBI DD McCabe calls Asst. AG Mary McCord to tell her FBI had been planning to close investigation of Flynn before discovering his phone calls with Kislyak. McCord’s notes indicate those aware at FBI/ODNI were Clapper, Bob Litt, Jim Baker, and Tricia Anderson.
Jan 4 2:11 p.m. Strzok email - If you have not closed [the Flynn investigation] don’t do it yet.
Once Lynch signed off on the new procedures, they moved awfully fast for government workers.
“This timeline is great, but it should also include the info about....
(according to Dan Bongino recent podcasts)
... Comey met with Flynn on January 4th, the day before the infamous “by the book” Jan 5th meeting. Flynn asked a question of Comey about the dossier that tipped COmey off that their pre-election spying etc would be exposed. I contend the Flynn question was discussed in the Jan 5th meeting;
... Steel deleted all his files related to the dossier on or about January 7th.
....
Since we were looking at timelines the other day, I was wondering whether either of you looked at how the unmasking list released yesterday fits in the timeline. Check out these dates (pulled from several timelines):
12/15/16 DNI Clapper executes “Procedures for the Availability or Dissemination of Raw Signals Intelligence Information by the National Security Agency Under Section 2.3 of Executive Order 12333.”
12/28/2019 DNI Clapper and Ambassador to Turkey Bass make the LAST unmasking requests before the 12/29/2019 Flynn-Kislyak calls.
12/29/2019 The 12/29/2019 Flynn-Kislyak calls.
1/3/2017 AG Loretta Lynch executes the “Procedures for the Availability . . .” document, indicating her approval.
1/3/2017 - FBI DD McCabe calls Asst. AG Mary McCord to tell her FBI had been planning to close investigation of Flynn before discovering his phone calls with Kislyak. McCord’s notes indicate those aware at FBI/ODNI were Clapper, Bob Litt, Jim Baker, and Tricia Anderson.
1/4/2017 2:11 p.m. Strzok email - If you have not closed [the Flynn investigation] don’t do it yet.
1/5/2017 Obama Chief of Staff (McDonough) makes the FIRST unmasking request after the 12/29/2019 Flynn-Kislyak calls.
So — How did Clapper, Bob Litt, Jim Baker, Tricia Anderson, Strzok, and the 7th Floor at FBI all know about the 12/29/2019 Flynn-Kislyak calls, without making an unmasking request?