Dept. of Justice Spokesperson Kerri Kupec says Bill Barr has authorized the opening of an investigation into “unmasking” that took place before, during, and after the 2016 presidential election by the Obama administration. It is the latest move by the Attorney General to further politicize the DOJ in an effort to re-write history as President Donald Trump would like it told.

Barr has tasked John Dash, a U.S. Attorney in Texas, with conducting the investigation.

Kupac made the announcement on Fox News Wednesday night, telling host and frequent Trump advisor Sean Hannity that Barr has concerns about the “frequency” and the “motivation” of unmasking requests.

“When you’re looking at unmasking as part of a broader investigation,” Kupac told Hannity, “who was unmasking whom, can add a lot to our understanding about motivation and big picture events.”

Unmasking, the act of requesting to learn the identity of a U.S. individual caught up in Intelligence Community telephone intercepts of foreign actors, is perfectly legal, which Kupac noted.

The Trump administration escalated unmasking requests, nearly doubling them in 2018, as this LA Times Legal Affairs Columnist notes:

Authorized NSA "unmasking" (I think we need a new word for this) requests in last 4 years:
2016: 9200
2017: 9500
2018: 17000
2019: 10000

— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) May 15, 2020

But Sean Hannity painted a far different picture for his Fox News supporters.

“I have been told by my sources now Kerri, for years, that there have been unmasking at an increase of three-fold in the second term of the Obama administration. Um… I’ve been told that even members of Donald Trump’s family have been unmasked. Members of the media have been unmasked.”

Hannity could have actually done some basic research to get actual facts.

It’s important to note that in administrations that don’t politicize intelligence and turn the Dept. of Justice into a weapon for the president’s re-election, any announcement of a major investigation would be made in a non-partisan environment like the DOJ’s press briefing room, and all regular media outlets would be included.

Watch:

DOJ spokesperson announces an unmasking probe pic.twitter.com/5ibxOxZR4H

— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) May 28, 2020

White House Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway for the second time on Wednesday is drawing outrage for her offensive remarks. After painting a target on the back of the Twitter executive responsible for preventing disinformation and hoaxes, she’s now under fire for comparing standing in line to vote to standing in line to buy cupcakes.

On Wednesday, Conways remarks drove her to the number two slot on Twitter’s top trending items, just below the SpaceX launch.

“People are very proud to show up and go to the polls,” Conway told reporters. “They really are. I mean they wait in line at Georgetown Cupcake for an hour to get a cupcake,” she said, somewhat condescendingly.

“So I think they can probably wait in line to do something as consequential and critical and constitutionally significant as cast their ballot.”

Kellyanne: If you can stand in line for a cupcake, you can stand in line to vote pic.twitter.com/iTEvPZjNu7

— Peter Wade 🤦‍♂️ (@brooklynmutt) May 27, 2020

Not all of America waits in line to buy cupcakes in Washington, D.C. And those who wait in line the most to vote generally live in poor and minority neighborhoods.

Americans can and do wait in line, often for hours, to vote. They shouldn’t have to. In the middle of a pandemic Americans want the opportunity to not contract – or spread – the deadly virus the President she works for has made even worse.

One American, U.S. Congressman Mark Pocan, Democrat of Wisconsin, had the perfect response to Conway’s condescension.

To be clear, Georgetown Cupcakes in D.C. right now is delivery only.

So if that’s your arbitrary standard Kellyanne, I think it’s time that our country has national vote-by-mail. https://t.co/AyNttIxJTC

— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) May 27, 2020

His remarks were echoed by others:

Not only was it a reprehensible comparison by @KellyannePolls, it was also a lie. https://t.co/u6Igvmfi28

— Janet Johnson (@JJohnsonLaw) May 27, 2020

And still others had a few words to share about Conway’s comments:

It is so glaringly obvious they want to create two voting systems, one for them and their voters and one for the rest of us. Similar to the legal system they’ve created for themselves. Rest assured, Kellyanne and everyone in the WH will vote-by-mail. Because it is convenient. https://t.co/GhHt3FvJdB

— Jennifer Hayden (@Scout_Finch) May 27, 2020

If you can mail people checks you can mail people ballots.

Is she living in a fantasy world where criminals don’t want to steal checks but really want to vote?

— JRehling (@JRehling) May 27, 2020

No Kellyanne- it doesn’t work that way, cupcake. Voting is a right- by mail or in person. Get over it #snowflake https://t.co/CRV532RzyP

— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) May 27, 2020

Guess what, @KellyannePolls? You have the option to order cupcakes by mail. https://t.co/9q1mstYTkD https://t.co/b0ebADf0Rk

— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) May 27, 2020

.@KellyannePolls assumes that those in line for a cupcake are those hesitant to vote in person. Numerous immuno-compromised individuals aren’t buying cupcakes & they would like to vote.

Does @realDonaldTrump believe in the universal right to vote or not? https://t.co/nq2euTZ1aj

— Indivisible NE Iowa (@IndivisibleNEIA) May 27, 2020

.@KellyannePolls is a paid   propagating debunked BS, with the gall of comparing vote by mail to cupcakes from the party who believes guns are just like cars.

This is a transparent effort to suppress & disenfranchise your constitutional right to vote bc they fear it https://t.co/oJlAAcKYoz

— Trinity (@TrinityResists) May 27, 2020

Voting is a constitutional right.

Eating fancy cupcakes is a luxury

There’s a big difference Kellyanne

But you knew that already. pic.twitter.com/gyOBX2FKFC

— Andrew Weinstein (@Weinsteinlaw) May 27, 2020

MAGA “life coach” and right-wing broadcaster Brenden Dilley admitted during his program today that he doesn’t care about the truth of the things he says and that he has no problem “making shit up” because his “objective is to destroy Democrats” and “anything that opposes President Trump.”

Dilley, who has openly admitted that he creates and spreads fake news several times before, chastised his viewers today for caring when he spreads disinformation.

“I don’t give a fuck about being factual,” Dilley said. “I make shit up all the time.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” he continued. “My objective is to destroy Democrats, OK? To destroy liberals, liberalism as an idea, Democrats, and anything that opposes President Trump. That’s my goal. I’ve never made any bones about that.”

“You don’t have to fact check me because I don’t give a fuck,” Dilley added. “I fucking make up shit sometimes, from time to time. I don’t care. I don’t care. Democrats know it. Republicans know it. I don’t mind admitting it. I don’t give a shit … When I get a chance to shit on the left, I don’t mind making shit up. No, not at all.”

On Tuesday, Dilley praised the president’s baseless accusation that MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough had something to do with the 2001 death of a woman who worked in Scarborough’s congressional office and urged his listeners to start “investigating” whether Scarborough may have also been involved in the 1996 death of JonBenét Ramsey.

This article was originally published by Right Wing Watch and is republished here by permission.