A former senior cybersecurity official who refuted President Donald Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was “rigged” is under federal investigation, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.
Chris Krebs is facing an unspecified government investigation, the DHS spokesperson said. As a result, Krebs was expelled from a U.S. customs program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved American travelers at airports, known as Global Entry.
“Chris Krebs is under active investigation by law enforcement agencies," the DHS spokesperson told NBC News. "That is a fact disqualifying him for global entry.”
Officials declined to say why Krebs was under investigation or which federal agencies were leading the probe. CNN first reported Krebs' suspension from the Global Entry program.
The White House referred NBC News to the DHS and Justice Department for comment. The Justice Department declined to comment.
Refuting Trump’s election fraud claims
Krebs, who served as head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency during Trump’s first term, declined to comment. Trump fired Krebs after he said in a statement that the 2020 election was the “most secure in American history.”
Krebs added, “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
The investigation of Krebs comes after President Trump issued a memorandum on April 9 directing the attorney general and the homeland security secretary to “take all appropriate action to review” Krebs’ activities during his time in government. The memo also revoked Krebs’ security clearance.
The memo targeting Krebs, and a similar memo naming former senior DHS official Miles Taylor, marked an escalation in President Trump’s campaign of retribution against perceived political enemies. It was the first time the president had requested possible government investigations against individuals.
The presidential memorandum accused Krebs of seeking to suppress “conservative viewpoints” on social media about the 2020 election and the COVID-19 epidemic, by allegedly coercing social media platforms under the “guise of combatting supposed disinformation.”
The memo claimed Krebs “falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen, including by inappropriately and categorically dismissing widespread election malfeasance and serious vulnerabilities with voting machines.”
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the 2020 election was “stolen” but there is no evidence that the vote was plagued by widespread fraud.
More than 50 lawsuits brought by Trump or his allies alleging fraud and irregularities have been withdrawn, dismissed or denied by state and federal judges.
After Trump signed the memorandum last month cancelling Krebs’ security clearance, Krebs stepped down from his role at the cyber security firm SentinelOne to prepare his legal defense. Security clearances are crucial for employees working on federal cyber security contracts.
Over 40 cybersecurity experts signed an open letter on April 29 condemning what they called “the political persecution” of Krebs.
“By placing Krebs and SentinelOne in the crosshairs, the President is signaling that cybersecurity professionals whose findings do not align with his narrative risk having their businesses and livelihoods subjected to spurious and retaliatory targeting," the letter stated, "the same bullying tactic he has recently used against law firms."
