The Trump administration has reassigned or forced out several dozen government employees who had been working to fight foreign interference in U.S. elections at multiple agencies, according to current and former officials.According to The New York Times, the Trump administration is targeting government officials who have been flagging foreign interference in U.S. elections. This is despite ongoing concerns that adversaries are using propaganda and disinformation online to stoke political and social divisions. Current and former government officials have revealed that the administration has reassigned several dozen officials at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and forced out others at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
The officials who have been cut were not only responsible for combating false content online, but also for implementing broader safeguards to protect elections from cyberattacks and other attempts to disrupt voting systems. In the 2020 election, these teams tracked and publicized numerous influence operations from Russia, China, and Iran in order to minimize their impact on unsuspecting voters. Experts are concerned that these cuts could leave the United States vulnerable to covert foreign influence operations and embolden foreign adversaries seeking to disrupt democratic governments.
Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s secretary of state and a Democrat, wrote a letter to President Trump warning that these cuts are equivalent to shutting down the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration before hurricane season. He stated that “this decision undermines Arizona’s election security at a time when our enemies around the world are using online tools to push their agendas and ideologies into our very homes.” This news has raised concerns about the country’s ability to defend against foreign interference in future elections.
Source:Read More