New York – When it was a suspicious video of the votes extracted in Pennsylvania, last October, focus on social media, the federal agency quickly responded and called Russian misinformation.
In November Election Day, bomb threats in many states for polling caused constant interrupts to vote. It’s a lot of many Scenarios Aimed at state and local civil servants of the nation’s cybersecurity agencies.
The future of this support is now uncertain.
Trump Administration declines and undo Federal agencies He has made efforts to improve election security and controls the foreign impact. This can cause gaps in America’s enemies to exploit the countries with important elections.
“Our opponents are games every day,” said former Minister of Suzan Suzan in the home of homeland. “I’m worried at the same time that we violate our defenses.”
Last week, Pam Bondi chief law FBI dissolved a task-tangible Focused on researching foreign impact operations, including those who focus our elections. He also limited actions aimed at people who do not know lobbyes in foreign governments. He write Changes “that they would have free resources to address more priority presses and endowing abuse against prosecution and abuse abuse.”
The Trump Administration has carried out cuts in the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which oversees the critical infrastructure of the nation, including election systems. Saturday, a Senior DHS Official Officer said Massive shooting of federal staff In the test test, he led to cuts of more than 130 employees in Cisa. It was not immediately clear that there were 17 employees who worked in Election Safety placed on leave Last week.
The Saturday DHS Officials also said that all CISA electoral security activities were waiting for its funding, activities and staff. The agency completed his involvement Voluntary program He shared information about cyber defense with state and local election officials.
ACTIONS, such as Russia, China and Iran’s election protected by countries like Iran are not a priority for federal governments.
“I think we will be naive to think that evils don’t get that message.
State and local governments do elections in the US, but in recent years they helped federal assistance to scale threats, coordinates other security election offices and protects foreign impacts designed to weaken voters.
Los Angeles County Registar Dean Logan recalled the Federal government twice the first one threatened to his office. In 2023, federal officials had a suspicious envelope to attend its election facility could be intercepted. In 2024, the Federal government informed his office message threat before he became aware of his office.
“We can’t see everything and ears,” Logan said. “We are focused on administering the election.”
There are several elements of this work that FBI can do, the Director General of the Media Linvill of Clemson University. He investigated campaigns for inflicts affected in 2024. The work force of the FBI’s work will be lost in 2026 and beyond. “
Higher Democrats overseeing election legislation and wrote a letter last week to express the higher “serious concern” change in Cisa’s high week and ask for more information on how changes to election security.
Trump seeks to halt the tracking of government online disinformation, if Similar to censorship addressed to conservatives. Although Trump signed the bill in 2018, he created CISA in 2018 Christopher Krebs did the director following the 2020 election Trump that Lost Democrat Joe Biden. Krebs had a crew Vote Security As Trump continued To claim Was sharpened.
The Biden Administration followed the foreign impact on government monitoring and frequently warn Public for such operations in 2024. Also carried a FBI research Indictment of three Iranian operators To hack in the trump campaign.
FBI has worked with Cisa and coordinates intelligence with the management of National Intelligence in foreign influence operations, Efforts directed by ODNI’s foreign influp centers.
Trump New Directors of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has not shared plans for the center, authorized by the Congress Authorized and Set to expire At the discretion made in 2028 of the agency. He said in a statement on Wednesday, he wants the “armament and politics” of the intellectual community.
There is no statement to stop researching crimes associated with spying related to election interference. A task team dedicated to this mission, however, has affected David Salvo, to ensure democracy General Manager of the German Marshall Fund.
“I’m sure there is still an official FBI that is respecting this activity,” he said. “But I’m not sure that political masters care a lot, and they are likely to tell those officials to stop this work completely.”
Some Republicans have praised the removal of tasks. In the Committee of the Judiciary Power of the Senate Senate, relatives of R-Iowa, who said the unit was “very politicized”.
In an email statement, FBI confessed that the task force was disbanded, but he said he did not mention “specific workers’ actions”.
In terms of Cisa, its wider mission is to protect the critical infrastructure of America, The future is not clear. Trump’s Republicans Allies criticized agency about Covid-19 for work to deal with disinformation 2020 elections. Homeland security Secretary Kristi Noem said during Listening to Senate Confirmation That he squeezed the “remote mission”.
Secretary of DHS Assistant Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that last week, employees left and evaluating the agency, “how has it focused on any work that focuses on any work related to the election, dis-, dis- and malination.” On Saturday, DHS said that part of the review was made up and agencies were taking “appropriate actions” about these employees.
Among the uncertainty of federal level, the Secretary of Washington Steve Hobbs said the legislature was required to finance election security programs. Arizona State Secretary stated that while Trump can restructure the federal government, it depends on its state of the CISA election services.
“I’m not too responsible for what agency gives him, but we have to be them,” he said.
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Cassidy reported in San Diego.
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