Americans picked up on surveillance

[GoodTaste]

Does "Americans picked up on surveillance" mean "Americans who are chosen in order to make them to collect intelligence"?


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House Intel Committee seeks names of Obama officials who requested 'unmasking' of Americans picked up on surveillance


By Jake Tapper, Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent

(CNN)The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee asked the three leaders of the intelligence community Wednesday about any time during the last seven months of the Obama administration whenever any of its agents and officials improperly named, or "unmasked," and disseminated the identities of American citizens picked up in intelligence collection.

Source: CNN

 

[SoothingDave]

No. It means Americans whose conversations and other communications were recorded/surveilled.

These people were not the targets of the surveillance. They were recorded because they had some contact with people who were under surveillance. Since they are not targets of a criminal investigation, their identities are supposed to be protected.

 

[GoodTaste]

Got it.
Does "its agents and officials" refer to "Obama administration's agents and officials"?

 

[SoothingDave]

No, it refers to the "intelligence community." Grammatically.

Politically, the intelligence community is supposed to be professional and not political. Ultimately, they do work for the president, as head of the Executive branch of the government.