Trump targets Krebs: executive order revives 2020 election feud

Trump signs executive order to investigate Chris Krebs

On Wednesday, April 92, newly re-elected President Trump signed an executive order launching a federal investigation into Chris Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).^[1]

The order, issued from the White House amid a flurry of early-term actions, directs the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to probe Krebs for allegedly “weaponizing” his position during the 2020 election to suppress claims of election fraud and censor conservative voices.

A key component of the order also seeks to revoke Krebs’ security clearance, a move that has sparked outrage among cybersecurity experts and civil liberties advocates. The White House statement accompanying the order claims Krebs “falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen,” accusing him of dismissing “widespread election malfeasance and serious vulnerabilities with voting machines.”^[2]

This development marks a dramatic escalation of a feud that began in November 2020, when Trump fired Krebs via tweet for contradicting the then-president’s narrative of a stolen election.^[3]

The cybersecurity watchdog at the center of the storm

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), established in 2018 under the Department of Homeland Security, is the federal agency tasked with safeguarding the nation’s critical infrastructure (power grids, financial systems, and, crucially, election systems) from physical and cyber threats.

During the 2020 election, CISA took on a high-profile role, partnering with state and local officials to secure voting infrastructure and combat disinformation campaigns. Under Krebs’ leadership, CISA launched the “Rumor vs. Reality” initiative, debunking false claims about hacked voting machines and foreign interference. Cybersecurity experts widely praised CISA’s efforts, with the Center for Internet Security calling it “a model of public-private collaboration.”

However, critics, including some conservative lawmakers, accused CISA of overreach, alleging it suppressed legitimate concerns about election integrity. This tension between cybersecurity and political narratives sets the stage for the current investigation into Krebs.

Why Krebs was fired and what Trump is accusing him of

The roots of this investigation trace back to November 2020, when Chris Krebs, then CISA director, became a target of Trump’s ire. Following the election, Trump and his allies pushed claims of widespread voter fraud, including allegations of tampered voting machines and illegal ballots.^[4] Krebs, however, stood firm.

On November 12, 2020, CISA issued a joint statement with election officials declaring the election “the most secure in American history,” directly refuting Trump’s assertions. Krebs doubled down in media appearances, telling 60 Minutes that there was “no evidence any voting system deleted or lost votes.” Trump responded swiftly, firing Krebs on November 17 via a tweet that labeled his statements “highly inaccurate” and accused him of misleading the public.

Fast forward to 2025, and Trump’s executive order revives these grievances with new intensity. The document alleges Krebs “inappropriately and categorically dismissed” evidence of election irregularities, pointing to lawsuits filed by Trump allies (most of which were dismissed by courts) and unverified reports of voting machine vulnerabilities from groups like the Heritage Foundation.

On April 9, Trump said the following while signing the order:^[5]

He said, This is the safest election we've ever had. And yet, every day you read in the papers about more and more fraud that's discovered. He's the fraud. He's a disgrace. So we'll find out whether or not it was a safe election. And if it wasn't, he's got a big price to pay.

The statement from the official White House claims^[2] Krebs collaborated with tech companies to censor conservative voices raising these concerns – a charge Krebs has denied, calling it “baseless retaliation” in a statement.

Trump’s crackdown on dissenting voices

The investigation into Krebs isn’t an isolated move – it’s part of a wider effort by Trump to target former officials who challenged him. In a parallel action, Trump revoked the security clearance of a former Homeland Security official turned whistleblower who authored an anonymous 2018 New York Times op-ed criticizing Trump’s leadership.^[6]

That official, later revealed as Miles Taylor, warned of Trump’s “reckless decisions,” earning the former president’s lasting enmity. Similarly, Trump has threatened legal action against former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter questioning the Hunter Biden laptop story.^[7]

Legal experts warn that these moves signal an intent to punish dissent, potentially chilling free speech within government ranks. For the cybersecurity community, the Krebs probe raises alarm about the politicization of a field that relies on impartiality and trust – a concern echoed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which called the executive order “a dangerous precedent.”