Trump’s inability to concede is greatly affecting the transition team and putting our country at a national security risk. Trump had fired Christopher Krebs, who served as the first director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Mr. Krebs, had overseen election cybersecurity efforts, and had joined other officials in declaring the 2020 election “the most secure in American history.” This statement is obviously in direct contradiction to Trump’s unbacked claims that the election was based in fraud. Trump and his legal team has frequently claimed that the 2020 election has been “stolen from him through fraudulent ballots and software glitches that changed millions of votes.” Trump had turned to his appointee, Krebs, in hopes that he’d help confirm his allegations that there had been Russian interference and Trump votes had been changed to Biden votes and Krebs did the exact opposite, leading to his immediate firing.
Senator Angus King of Maine has stated, “Of all the things this president has done, this is the worst…To strike at the heart of the democratic system is beyond anything we have seen from any politician.” Senator King believed that Christopher Krebs was one of the most independent and competent people working in the Trump administration, putting partisanship behind and solely focusing on the importance of protecting American democracy. Krebs was not surprised though because it is reported that as early as June he had started to tell his colleagues he expected to be fired as the president started talking about a potential “rigged” election.
As someone who happened to be following Krebs on Twitter, I was struck with a profound sense of patriotism when after his firing he tweeted “Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow. #Protect2020.” As we move forward as public servants and political leaders that’s the message we should all get behind. Do it right, Fight for today, Secure a future for future generations.
Sanger, D., & Perlroth, N. (2020, November 18). Trump Fires Christopher Krebs, Official Who Disputed Election Fraud Claims. Retrieved November 23, 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/us/politics/trump-fires-christopher-krebs.html
Chris,
I couldn’t agree more with your conclusion. Krebs and his team worked hard during the run-up to the election to monitor and prevent outside cyber-meddling by Russia, China, Iran and others. And the statement his agency made after the election was a statement of FACT–something that the president has spent the last four years denying the existence of! So even though Krebs’s firing was totally anticipated, that doesn’t make it right. In fact, it was/is an outrage; and it is part of the disastrous legacy that will follow the current president throughout history. –Professor Wallerstein