Susan Rice Admits Unmasking Trump Team After Denying Knowing Anything

Susan Rice admitted to lawmakers last week that she unmasked Trump transition team officials even though earlier this year she denied knowing anything about it. Rice was asked by PBS Newshour‘s Judy Woodruff on March 22 about allegations that Trump transition officials were swept up in surveillance of foreigners at the end of the Obama administration. “I know nothing about this,” Rice had said at the time. However, last week, she told the House intelligence committee that she had unmasked Trump transition team members in order to understand why the Emrati crown prince was visiting New York late last year, according to a CNN report. She said the Obama administration “felt misled” by the United Arab Emirates, who had not mentioned that the crown prince was visiting the country. Rice’s admission also showed that Trump transition team members were indeed caught up in surveillance of a foreign target, confirming President Trump’s suspicions that his transition team was being surveilled. The foreign target in this case was apparently the Emiratis, who call themselves “close friends and strong allies” with the U.S. on its Washington, D.C., website. Rice’s justification—feeling misled—was nowhere near a hypothetical scenario Rice laid out for a reason to