The Obama administration used foreign contacts as an excuse for surveillance on political opponents.

streiff:
When “Unmasking” Becomes The Rule Rather Than The Exception
Over at Circa, there is a piece that is a must-read if you are interested in understanding the debate over “unmasking” the identities of US persons caught up in NSA surveillance. These might be persons who were “incidentally” captured during surveillance of a foreign target or they could be American citizens whose names are mentioned in a communication between an intelligence target and another person.
...
They apparently first used it to attack opponents of Obama's terrible deal with Iran and then continued to use it against the Trump campaign, using Russia as an excuse.  It seems clear that Susan rice did not do this on her own.  She was acting on behalf of President Obama to attack his political opponents.

For those on the left who are defending this conduct, they should be asked whether they would have any problem with the Trump administration doing it to its political opponents.

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