Has anyone else seen the "Remove all items from Syndicate members" option?

One of the selections I was given was to "remove all items from Syndicate members".

I didn't pick it because the other option gave much more intelligence and I wasn't sure if removing items from the Syndicate would nerf their drops.

1) Has anyone else seen this choice?

2) Is there something we can do to get this choice, or is it a rare RNG outcome?

3) Will this nerf their performance to be in line with ppls expectations? AFACIT, the item powerups are what make them challenging.

4) Is it possible to get their items, or does the item they are carrying influence their drops?

Got one this morning. Took it. Don't care if it hurts the drops. Anything that makes the fights easier would be worth it. In my case the other option would have reduced the rank of a character. I hate that. They say that higher rank characters are more difficult, but I don't see it.

Those items only benefit sindicate members. its good to remove them. The drop you get from safehouse depends on what rank they are (you want all of them with 3 stars)

Removing items from the syndicate members essentially weakens them as they only utilize those items for themselves and do not drop them. It's their rank that determines their drops if they're a stronghold leader.

Rivals are something to keep in mind too. If you encounter a syndicate member that has many allies of the same branch, expect to see all those allies jump in to help. Fight will be harder, but you'll get more choices/loot if you win.