I mean, isn't that overkill? Or piling on? Does everyone have to put their name on the list in order to confirm the identity of the guy (especially when it's already obvious who was talking to Kislyak)?
I'm just scratching my head trying to figure out how this works. Anyone who ever had a corporate or government desk job knows how memos plop into your in-box with a long circulation list attached. You read them (or maybe don't), cross your name off, and toss them into your out-box for your secretary to forward to the next person on the list. So... did the obama White House put an "unmasking requested" box on every wiretap transcript that could be checked by each recipient?
Seems pretty sloppy when it comes to safeguarding the privacy of American citizens who have Constitutional rights not to be eavesdropped on by the guvmint. I mean, 39 unmasking requests for one fucking convo? Are you fucking kidding me?
Now I understand why Samantha Powers was so flummoxed to hear that her name was attached to over 260 unmasking requests. Evidently, her chief of staff just checked the box automatically. Who's counting anyway? Better to be in the loop than out, right?
My first reaction upon hearing this was they must have been trying to dilute responsibility for spying on trump. I mean, if it's a gang of 39 you can't pin it on any one snooper, right? But don't worry folks, any snooping was done strictly "by the books"!