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The cybersecurity chief had denied the allegations of election fraud, he has to go. His firing via Twitter has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans.
Current US President Donald Trump has fired a key head of the Department of Homeland Security for publicly denying allegations of alleged election fraud. The head of the cybersecurity and infrastructure agency, Chris Krebs, was removed from office “with immediate effect,” Trump wrote Tuesday night (local time) on Twitter. His claim that the presidential elections had not been rigged is “very inaccurate.”
There were “massive irregularities,” Trump claimed. Among other things, the deceased had cast votes and voting machines had thrown Trump’s votes to Democrat Joe Biden, the Republican continued. Twitter warned Trump’s fraud allegations that the statements were “controversial.”
Krebs and other top US officials rejected Trump’s ongoing accusations in a joint statement last Thursday, without naming the president. “The November 3 elections were the safest in the history of the United States,” the statement said.
They pointed out that the vote had not been manipulated through the use of computer programs. “There is no evidence that a voting system has eliminated or changed the votes, or that it has been compromised in any way,” said the statement from the Association of State Election Officials. There are many “baseless accusations” and “misinformation about the electoral process,” but the integrity of the election was not compromised, he said.
“We did it well”
Shortly after his removal, the murdered head of authorities also responded with a tweet: “It is an honor to serve. We did well,” he wrote. The head of authorities was reportedly awaiting his dismissal last week.
Krebs and his team had “worked hard to secure our elections,” said Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House intelligence committee. “Rather than rewarding this great service, President Trump is retaliating against cancer and other officials who have done their duty.”
There was also a lack of understanding among Republicans about Krebs’ firing: “Chris Krebs has done a very good job, as government officials across the country will tell him, and he should not be fired,” said Republican Senator Ben Sasse. .
Krebs, who previously worked for Microsoft, had held senior positions with the Department of Homeland Security since 2017. Trump appointed him head of the cybersecurity agency (Cisa) in February 2018.
CIA and FBI firings?
The White House was reportedly particularly unhappy with Cisa’s anti-disinformation website called “Rumor vs. Reality.” The site rejected Trump’s claims, among others, that many votes were cast on behalf of the dead or that a postponement of the vote count indicated fraud.
Biden was declared the winner of the elections on November 7 by the US media. He must succeed Trump on January 20. However, the headline still speaks of electoral fraud without providing any substantiated evidence. Trump and the Republicans have filed several lawsuits. So far, the processes have been largely unsuccessful, and none of them should be able to override the outcome of the elections as a whole.
Trump had already fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper last week; accused him of lack of loyalty. Other posts at the Pentagon were also filled. According to US media reports, Trump should also consider the expulsion of Gina Haspel, head of the CIA’s foreign intelligence service and head of the FBI’s Federal Police, Christopher Wray. Democratic leaders have warned that Trump’s hiring decisions prior to Biden’s inauguration threatened national security.
It was only on Tuesday that Trump-appointed Executive Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller announced an accelerated partial withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Iraq. The decision was criticized even by top Republicans in Congress. Former Minister Esper reportedly blocked such a move.
(APA / dpa / AFP)