How do you expose the spies? Force them into the light.

It's not that they didn't spy before this. They did, but they left little that could be traced directly back to them. The NSA database was their tool. Mike R "played the game" because they had to think he was no threat to their spying. That he was complicit.

Then he makes his "move".

They leave a clumsy trail because they are so sure they can't lose. What does it matter? The election is rigged for HRC. It'll all get buried anyway.

The first move isn't a huge problem. The 3 letters can build around that, but then on 10/21/2016 he shuts down ALL access. On HRC's birthday (10/26/2016) he exposes their FISA court violations.

Now they're PISSED.

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/306894-report-clapper-carter-recommended-obama-fire-nsa-head/

The president has reportedly not taken action on the recommendation because he is also mulling over whether to separate the NSA from the nation’s Cyber Command, an issue that would complicated Rogers’s departure.

According to the Post, Clapper would like to see a civilian in charge of the NSA, and that it should have a separate chain of command from the cyber unit.

They wanted to put a civilian (CORRUPT/ NON-MILITARY) person in charge to prevent from being booted out of the NSA database. They like using the US Military's database because it makes them look just as complicit and corrupt.

After taking the helm of the NSA in the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks, Rogers has not done enough to beef up security within the spy agency, the Pentagon chief reportedly believes.

That's exactly WHY he was put there. He was put there to give them an all access pass to the database. It was spying without a paper trail.

However, then he cuts them off and forces them to expose their networks to continue their spying OP on Trump. However, they don't want to fire him this close to an election for optic reason. Understand that they intended to ruthlessly punish him for this when HRC won.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/reports-president-obama-considering-removing-nsa-chief-mike-rogers/

Officials with knowledge of the situation told the New York Times that Mr. Obama’s potential removal of Rogers is not related to the fact that Mr. Trump is considering him for his administration.

It's because they were furious at how Mike Rodgers forced them into Crossfire Hurricane and leaving a massive paper trail that they were sure Trump would use against them.