Trump fires cybersecurity official who claimed 2020 election was most secure in US history

US President Donald Trump on November 17 fired the director of the federal agency who last week had said that November 3 presidential election was the most secure one in America’s history. In a tweet, Trump terminated Christopher Krebs and said that his recent statement defending the security of the election was ‘highly inaccurate’. Krebs was a Trump appointee and director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and his termination comes as the Republican incumbent continues to refusing to recognise the victory of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden. 

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Kerbs’ ‘honoured to serve’ 

The firing of Kerbs also comes after the US President fired Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper amid reports that he doubted the Pentagon chief’s loyalty. According to BBC, there is a speculation in America that before Trump leaves office in January, CIA director Gina Haspel and FBI director Christopher Wray could also be for the chopping block. Like others, Kerbs also learned he was out of a job when he saw the President’s tweet. Following his dismissal, the US official took to social media and said that he was “honoured to serve”. 

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Kerbs, who is a former Microsoft executive, ran CISA from its creation in the wake of Russian interference with the 2016 election through the November 2020 election. He won bipartisan praise as CISA coordinated federal state and efforts to defend electoral systems from foreign and domestic interference. He had reportedly incurred the White House’s displeasure over a CISA website called Rumour Control, which debunked misinformation, much of it amplified by Trump himself. 

Throughout his career, he has kept a low profile and he has even avoided directly criticising the president. He has tried to stay above the political fray even as he worked to contradict misinformation coming from the president or his supporters. The CISA works with the state and local officials, who run the country’s election as well as private companies that supply voting equipment to address cybersecurity and other threats. The agency also works with industry and utilities to protect the nation’s industrial base and power grid from threats. 

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