Trump Administration’s Changes to Election Security Measures Raise Concerns
The Trump administration has embarked on a swift initiative to dismantle efforts aimed at curbing foreign interference in U.S. elections. These efforts were initially put in place following revelations about Russia’s attempts to influence the 2016 elections.
According to sources familiar with the situation, staff members working on countering foreign misinformation and disinformation at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have been placed on administrative leave. This includes a team of 10 regional election security advisers.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has also disbanded an FBI task force focused on combating foreign influence campaigns, notably from Russia and China. The directive aims to “free resources to address more pressing priorities” and terminate the Foreign Influence Task Force. Additionally, enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act has been relaxed.
Trump’s first term was marked by his frustrations over accusations of Russian interference in his favor. The U.S. government also noted attempts by countries such as Iran to undermine his candidacy. Trump has persistently claimed the 2020 election was “stolen,” a statement CISA had contested, leading to the dismissal of its then-director.
CISA and DHS have not commented on these developments.
Election security experts express concern over the administration’s actions, fearing these moves could compromise the integrity of U.S. elections. Experts noted that the absence of CISA’s regional officers and the FBI task force could leave state and local elections more susceptible to external threats.
Kathy Boockvar, president of Athena Strategies and former Pennsylvania Secretary of State, remarked, “Every cut made to our election security and foreign malign influence operations is like handing a gift on a silver platter to our foreign adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran.”
Trump’s 2018 Bill and CISA’s Role
In 2018, Trump signed a bill establishing CISA to tackle a wide range of threats, including those from nation-states and cybercriminals. CISA was also tasked with election security, despite existing tensions between Trump and investigators regarding Russian disinformation in the 2016 election.
Trump has dismissed Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference as a “hoax.” Despite the investigation’s findings of Russian efforts to benefit his campaign, Trump has continued to propagate claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election, which CISA and others have debunked through resources like the Rumor Control webpage.
Republican criticism of CISA has intensified, with accusations that the agency overstepped its bounds. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has pledged to scale back CISA’s activities, particularly in addressing online disinformation from foreign adversaries.
Despite initial hopes for preserving CISA’s functions, recent developments, including deferred resignation offers to eligible employees, suggest an uncertain future for the agency.
If you have information regarding changes at CISA or other federal agencies, contact Jenna McLaughlin, available via encrypted communication on Signal at JennaMcLaughlin.54.
