Two Senate committees are now investigating former Vice President Joe Biden’s role in the “unmask…

Two Senate committees are now investigating former Vice President Joe BidenJoe BidenCalifornia AG Becerra: Criticism of Biden Latino outreach is ‘hogwash’Hickenlooper endorses Biden for presidentThe Hill’s Campaign Report: More Republican women are running for House seatsMOREs role in the unmasking of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, as Republican senators seek to go on offense with an issue they think will damage the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee while helping them retain their majority. 
Republicans are seizing on a declassified National Security Agency document made public Wednesday showing that 39 former Obama administration officials in late 2016 and early 2017, including Biden, requested to know the identity of an American whose had come up in intelligence briefings based on his conversations with then Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Flynn, a senior member of President-elect Trumps national security team, was revealed to be that individual.
Unmasking is a common practice in government; the National Security Agency reportedly approves several thousand such requests each year.
But President TrumpDonald John TrumpState Department inspector general firedHouse passes massive T coronavirus relief packageAnalysis: Most states fall short of recommended coronavirus testing levels as some reopenMORE and his allies have latched on to the issue as evidence Obama administration officials were seeking to torpedo his government before it took office.
Sen. Ron JohnsonRonald (Ron) Harold JohnsonJim Jordan requests documents from Pompeo regarding Hunter Biden, Burisma Clapper: ‘Routine’ to ask to ‘unmask’ unknown individuals in intelligence reportsThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by The American Investment Council – Trump takes his ‘ready to reopen’ mantra on the roadMORE (R-Wis.), the chairman of the Homeland Security panel, one of the two Senate committees conducting an investigation, wants to find out who in the Obama administration leaked to the media the gist of Flynns phone conversations with Kislyak a revelation that embarrassed the nascent Trump administration and led to Flynns swift ouster.
I certainly have suspected for quite some time that there was a concerted effort to sabotage this administration from the day after the election, Johnson said. There are a lot of questions that deserve answers.
Republican lawmakers believe finding out who leaked would enable Trump and his allies to argue that Obama administration officials were listening in on Flynns calls not only out of concern for national security but also to collect political ammo.
Why were there people all over the place unmasking conversations that Michael Flynn was involved in? What other unmaskings occurred during that same time? Johnson asked.
What is the vice president doing requesting unmasking eight days before leaving office? He should have been gathering up his papers and figuring out what he was going to do in the next step in life? he said.
The other Senate panel looking into the issue is the Judiciary Committee led by Sen. Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamHopes fade for coronavirus relief deal before JuneJim Jordan requests documents from Pompeo regarding Hunter Biden, Burisma Graham rebuffs Trump over Obama testimony: ‘It would be a bad precedent’ MORE (R-S.C.), a top Trump ally who the president urged look into the issue.
If I were a Senator or Congressman, the first person I would call to testify about the biggest political crime and scandal in the history of the USA, by FAR, is former President Obama. He knew EVERYTHING. Do it @LindseyGrahamSC, just do it, Trump tweeted Thursday.
Graham said Obama was welcome to testify but that he did not plan on calling on him.
I think the optics of it are pretty bad for Biden and for the Obama administration. Lindseys going to do some stuff, hes going to run some things to ground on some of the stuff surrounding this and who knows what comes out of that, said Senate Republican Whip John ThuneJohn Randolph ThuneHopes fade for coronavirus relief deal before JuneBurr problem grows for GOPRubio seen as possible successor to Burr as Intelligence chairmanMORE (S.D.), referring to Graham.
I just think its something that probably dogs Biden and his campaign for a while. The idea that they would be trying to undermine an incoming administration as late in the game as January of 2017 is pretty hard to explain, he added.  
The Senate is the only chamber of Congress held by Republicans, underscoring the effort’s political importance for the party.  
Republican anxiety over keeping the Senate majority has risen in the last few weeks amid the twin economic and health crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and polls showing a number of sitting Republican senators in tight races.
Republicans are pulling a page from a political playbook they used successfully against Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonCalifornia AG Becerra: Criticism of Biden Latino outreach is ‘hogwash’Hickenlooper endorses Biden for presidentHillary Clinton calls armed Michigan lockdown protests ‘domestic terrorism’ MORE in the 2016 presidential campaign, when they waged a multi-year House investigation into the 2011 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, to unleash a controversy over Clintons use of a private email server.
Youre starting to see a pattern that the Trump campaign would like to make, and that is Biden is a fraud and a hypocrite who is not up to the task of being president, said GOP strategist Ford OConnell, summarizing the political strategy.
A spokesman for Bidens campaign dismissed the disclosure as a brazen political ploy.  
Donald Trumps attempt at dishonest media manipulation to distract from his response to the worst public health crisis in 100 years has backfired, said Andrew Bates.
Bates said documents reflecting requests by multiple senior Obama administration officials to review Flynns conversation with Kislyak showed the breadth and depth of concern across the American government including among career officials over intelligence reports of Michael Flynns attempts to undermine ongoing American national security policy through discussions with Russian officials or other foreign representatives.
The NSA document released publicly on Wednesday shows Biden or a staff member requested on Jan. 12, 2017, to unmask Flynns identity in an intercepted call with Kislyak.
The document reveals 38 other senior Obama administration officials or someone on their staffs also requested to review records related to Flynns calls with Kislyak, including former Director of National Intelligence James ClapperJames Robert ClapperTucker Carlson: Flynn case was domestic spying operation ‘hidden under the pretext of national security’Clapper: ‘Routine’ to ask to ‘unmask’ unknown individuals in intelligence reportsGOP senators hit the gas on Obama-era probesMORE, former CIA Director John BrennanJohn Owen BrennanTucker Carlson: Flynn case was domestic spying operation ‘hidden under the pretext of national security’Paul claims Biden ‘caught red-handed’ eavesdropping on FlynnSenate GOP to press for Biden, other ex-Obama officials to testify on FlynnMORE, and former White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonoughDenis Richard McDonoughTucker Carlson: Flynn case was domestic spying operation ‘hidden under the pretext of national security’Biden campaign official calls CBS correspondent ‘right-wing hack’ in deleted tweetTrump takes aim at Biden over Flynn ‘unmasking’MORE.
The Biden campaign on Friday also pointed to an analysis in The Washington Post reporting that two people involved in Trumps reelection campaign said the effort was designed to weaken Biden and smear former President Obama, who will be one of Bidens most important surrogates on the campaign trail.
The same article referenced by the Biden campaign also noted the similarities between Trumps recent call on Senate Republicans to investigate Obamagate and his demand four years ago that Clinton be locked up over her use of an email server.
There is no evidence that during the 2016 presidential campaign Obama was involved in the FBIs investigation into interactions between Trumps advisers and Russian officials. The New York Times reported Thursday that Obama wasnt told until January 2017 of phone calls between Flynn and Kislyak.
Graham on Thursday announced he would begin holding multiple, in-depth hearings in June on all things related to Crossfire Hurricane, the FBIs investigation in 2016 and 2017 of links between Trumps advisers and Russian officials, which later evolved into former special counsel Robert MuellerRobert (Bob) MuellerCNN’s Toobin warns McCabe is in ‘perilous condition’ with emboldened TrumpCNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meetingThe Hill’s 12:30 Report: New Hampshire falloutMOREs investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian agents.
Phase one of Grahams investigation will include an in-depth analysis of the unmasking requests made by Obama administration officials against General Flynn.
We must determine if these requests were legitimate, Graham said in a statement.
Johnson says he will seek interviews with senior officials such as Clapper, Brennan, McDonough and possibly Biden as part of his own investigation.
Ive talked to my staff about hopefully preparing for interviews of some of these individuals, just find out what was all this about. Id like to do that at some point in time when we return from our [Memorial Day] recess, he said. Those are the folks at the top of the food chain. You kind of scratch your head and say, What were you after?