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Samantha Power allegedly tried to ‘unmask’ Americans on a daily basis

Samantha Power, who was the US Ambassador to the UN under former President Barack Obama, averaged more than one “unmasking” request for every working day in 2016 — even going so far as to seek the names of Trump associates just before his inauguration, a report says.

Sources told Fox News that Power tried to expose more than 260 people last year, most in the final days of the Obama administration.

The 46-year-old is one of several officials who worked for the former president and are now facing congressional scrutiny for their “unmasking” attempts.

The process is ultimately carried out when one wants to reveal the identity of an individual whose name surfaced in foreign intelligence documents.

While a spokesperson for Power did not comment on the numerous requests, a previous statement from her lawyer, David Pressman, claimed that she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“While serving as our Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Power was also a member of the National Security Council responsible for advising the President on the full-range of threats confronting the United States,” Pressman said. “Any insinuation that Ambassador Power was involved in leaking classified information is absolutely false.”

While the former ambassador has never been mentioned by name, several lawmakers have called out an “official” in recent months, who is reportedly Power, for making hundreds of unmasking attempts during Obama’s final year in office.

The individual was mentioned in a July 27 letter to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and during a public congressional hearing earlier this year — in which Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, of South Carolina, questioned former CIA director John Brennan on unmasking.

Many believe that Power, along with former National Security Adviser Susan Rice, misused the government process — on account of it being intended for the intelligence community.

“We [the NSA] apply two criteria in response to their request: number one, you must make the request in writing. Number two, the request must be made on the basis of your official duties, not the fact that you just find this report really interesting and you’re just curious,” National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers explained during congressional testimony in June.

“It has to tie to your job and finally, I said two but there’s a third criteria, and is the basis of the request must be that you need this identity to understand the intelligence you’re reading.”

There have been other UN ambassadors who have made unmasking requests in the past, but Fox News reports that they typically ranged in the low double digits.

Power is currently scheduled to testify before the Senate and House Intelligence committees in connection to the Russia probe. She is slated to meet with the House committee during a private meeting in October.