On Wednesday, President Trump ordered a federal investigation into Crisk Rebs, former director of the US cybersecurity agency CISA.
In a new executive order, Trump has directed the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney General, which houses CISA, to investigate Krebs, who was fired by the Trump administration shortly after Trump’s allegations that there was voting fraud during the presidential election. This order also revokes Krebs’ security clearance.
The executive order, among other things, claims that Krebs “mistakes denied the 2020 elections consolidated and stolen.
Trump and his associates have long argued for rigging the vote during the 2020 election without evidence. Trump launched a series of lawsuits after losing the election in 2020, and almost everything failed.
Founded during the first Trump administration, CISA oversees federal cybersecurity defense and the security of critical U.S. infrastructure, including the election system. Under Krebs’ tenure, CISA began fighting misinformation and disinformation related to election integrity and voter fraud. Much of this was caused by Russia’s efforts in 2016 that aimed to question the US election process.
The Trump Order alleges that Krebs has violated the first amendment, a constitutional rule that prohibits government interference in freedom of speech and expression by allegedly exceeding his authority as CISA director in countering election falsehoods.
The order also strips anyone who works at Sentinel Loan, Security Clearance, the cybersecurity company where Krebs currently works.
Sentinelone spokesperson Karen Master told TechCrunch in an email that the company will “actively cooperate with reviewing security clearances held by our staff,” saying that there are fewer than 10 employees with security clearances. A spokesperson said the cancellation of the clearance is not expected to have a significant impact on the company’s business.
Krebs is the latest in a list of former US government officials stripped of security clearance by the Trump administration. Many of them worked during Trump’s first term and were critical of his actions afterwards.
Also on Wednesday, Trump signed another executive order that similarly revoked the security clearance that became a whistleblower by a former homeland security official who wrote an anonymous OP-ED article critical of Trump’s policies during his first term.
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