GOP Lawmakers Show Support for Top US Election Security Official Trump Fired
Republican Congress members are coming to the defense of top U.S. cybersecurity official Chris Krebs after President Donald Trump made known on Twitter that Krebs was fired from his position. Trump wrote in a tweet…
Republican Congress members are coming to the defense of top U.S. cybersecurity official Chris Krebs after President Donald Trump made known on Twitter that Krebs was fired from his position.
Trump wrote in a tweet Tuesday evening that Krebs had been “terminated” as director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
He accused Krebs of making a “highly inaccurate” statement, when Krebs said there “is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
Krebs reportedly learned he was fired from the tweet, according to CNN. He wrote in his own tweet shortly after Trump’s, “Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure .”
However, Republican lawmakers are rallying behind Krebs, including Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) who told CNN’s Manu Raju that he finds Krebs “real professional.”
Portman said he wished Trump had not fired Krebs, “I think he was very good. I think what he was trying to do in an unprecedented way was to connect with every state in the country, and give them what they needed to protect and have a firewall…against cyberattacks.”
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) released a statement after the news of Trump firing Krebs. The senator said Krebs did a “remarkable job” and applauded the CISA’s efforts as being “essential in protecting the 2020 U.S. presidential election against threats of foreign interference.”
Additionally, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said, “Chris Krebs did a really good job — as state election officials all across the nation will tell you — and he obviously should not be fired.”
Republican lawmakers were not the only ones weighing in. Democratic Congress members also chimed in on Trump firing Krebs, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) who told MSNBC Krebs “should not have been fired.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also slammed Trump for his decision, writing in a statement, “Instead of rewarding this patriotic service, the President has fired Director Krebs for speaking truth to power and rejecting Trump’s constant campaign of election falsehoods,” as IJR reported.
She added, “The President’s insistence on distracting and dividing the country by denying his defeat in the election undermines our democracy.”
Trump has refused to concede the election since major news outlets declared President-elect Joe Biden the winner, and the president has made unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.