WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House on Wednesday issued a directive calling for the immediate revocation of security clearances held by former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Christopher Krebs, citing alleged censorship and misuse of government authority during his tenure.
Key Points
- A presidential memorandum orders agencies to revoke Chris Krebs’ security clearance.
- Krebs is accused of suppressing speech during the 2020 election and COVID-19 pandemic.
- A broad review of CISA’s conduct over the past six years has also been ordered.
Allegations of government overreach
The memorandum, addressed to executive department and agency heads, accuses Krebs of using his position to promote censorship during the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic.
It claims that under Krebs’ leadership, CISA pressured private social media companies to suppress speech and skewed public discourse in favor of preferred narratives.
The document specifically highlights CISA’s actions surrounding the Hunter Biden laptop controversy, election-related information, and COVID-19 messaging. The memo alleges that Krebs falsely dismissed election fraud claims and worked to marginalize dissenting viewpoints under the pretense of combating disinformation.
Immediate clearance revocation ordered
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Citing national security concerns, the directive instructs federal agencies to revoke any active security clearances held by Krebs. It also calls for the suspension and review of clearances held by individuals at organizations associated with Krebs, including SentinelOne.
The memorandum directs the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence to coordinate these actions in accordance with existing law.
Comprehensive agency review launched
In addition to the personnel actions, the memorandum initiates a detailed review of Krebs’ government service and directs a full evaluation of CISA’s activities from the past six years. The review will assess whether any conduct violated federal employee standards, involved unauthorized disclosure of classified information, or conflicted with the principles outlined in Executive Order 14149, issued earlier this year to address government involvement in speech regulation.
The Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security are instructed to submit a joint report with findings and recommendations to the President following completion of the review.