Despite continued concerns that opponents are stoking political and social units by spreading disinformation online, current and former state officials said, the Trump presidency is pursuing government officials who had been flagging foreign interference in U.S. elections.
According to them, the administration has already forced out others at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, and some few people currently working on the issue at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The reductions have focused on those who were working on more comprehensive safeguards to protect votes from cyberattacks or other attempts to obstruct voting systems in addition to fighting fake information online. The teams conducted and made countless influence operations from Russia, China, and Iran public in the previous year’s election to lessen their impact on innocent voters.
Experts worry that the cuts may weaken American defenses against secret overseas influence operations and bolster foreign adversaries trying to overthrow democratic governments.
Democratic secretary of state Adrian Fontes, a representative from Arizona, warned President Trump in a text that the reductions would be comparable to shutting down the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the wake of hurricane season.
At a time when our adversaries all over the world are using online tools to impose their beliefs and agendas on our very houses, he wrote,” This choice undermines Arizona’s election security.”
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