[thinden]

here's an excerpt from the piece for discussion. looks to me like bloomberg piece is MSM 1st attempt to spin Rice's alleged unmasking as binez as usual/everybody does it:

But Rice's multiple requests to learn the identities of Trump officials discussed in intelligence reports during the transition period does highlight a longstanding concern for civil liberties advocates about U.S. surveillance programs. The standard for senior officials to learn the names of U.S. persons incidentally collected is that it must have some foreign intelligence value, a standard that can apply to almost anything. This suggests Rice's unmasking requests were likely within the law."

so nothing here on distribution or "leaking" of these unmasked individuals in trump administration.

[LeonardFMason]

“The standard for senior officials to learn the names of U.S. persons incidentally collected is that it must have some foreign intelligence value, a standard that can apply to almost anything. This suggests Rice’s unmasking requests were likely within the law.”

FOR WHAT PURPOSE WERE THE NAMES UNMASKED? Can it be done on a whim?