Trump Fires Cybersecurity Chief Who Said Election Was Secure

By Jeff Benson

President Trump has fired Christopher Krebs, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), after Krebs and CISA refuted Trump's claims of election fraud.

Krebs reportedly believed last week that he was set to be fired. CISA Assistant Director for Cybersecurity Bryan Ware resigned on November 12 due to apparent pressure from the White House.

"The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud - including dead people voting, Poll Watchers not allowed into polling locations, 'glitches' in the voting machines which changed votes from Trump to Biden, late voting, and many more," Trump wrote on Twitter late Tuesday evening. "Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency."

Trump is likely referring to a tweet Krebs sent from his government Twitter account earlier in the day that read, "ICYMI: On allegations that election systems were manipulated, 59 election security experts all agree, 'in every case of which we are aware, these claims either have been unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent.'"

CISA is an agency of the Department of Homeland Security that President Trump signed into existence in 2018. It's charged with managing threats to US cyber-infrastructure and plays a prominent role in ensuring election integrity and preventing ransomware attacks, in which independent hackers or foreign governments can cripple computer systems lest Bitcoin is paid as a ransom.

The same day of Ware's (reportedly forced) resignation, CISA joined in issuing a letter that stated: “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history."

Krebs sent a tweet on his way out the door, this time from his personal account: "Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow. #Protect2020"

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