On Tuesday afternoon, President Barack Obama’s former National Security Advisor Susan Rice appeared on MSNBC with host Andrea Mitchell to answer questions about allegations that had emerged earlier in the week to suggest that she requested the “unmasking” of the names of Donald Trump’s campaign and transition teams in intelligence reports, which allegedly had nothing to do with national security, and that she had compiled spreadsheet of those names. On CNN, Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon, citing the cable net’s national security reporter, dismissed the whole thing as ridiculous:

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo told viewers on Tuesday that the controversy surrounding former National Security Adviser Susan Rice is “another fake scandal being peddled by right-wing media.” Cuomo offered the remarks about Rice’s reported request to know the identities of Trump transition team members mentioned in intelligence briefings during CNN’s “New Day.” Rice has been accused of unmasking the Trump transition members.
Media reports indicate that former National Security Advisor Susan Rice improperly requested the unmasking of some American names, including those of Donald Trump's campaign staff, that had been incidentally collected during national security investigations. A National Security Adviser may request unmasking if specific criteria are met. A Rice associate denies that the unmasking was improper.