WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed directives targeting two former government officials who criticized him during his first term, calling one of them a traitor and saying they should be investigated.
One of Trump’s directives named Christopher Krebs, his former cybersecurity chief, and said any security clearance he has would be revoked.
A second presidential memorandum targeted Miles Taylor, who was a top official at the Department of Homeland Security during Trump’s first term and anonymously wrote a 2019 book criticizing the then-president. Taylor made his identity public in October 2020.
The order stripped Taylor of any security clearance he might have and ordered the Justice Department to investigate him.
“I think it’s a very important case, and I think he’s guilty of treason, if you want to know the truth, but we’ll find out,” said Trump as he signed the order on Taylor.
In response, Taylor said via text message: “I said this would happen. Dissent isn’t unlawful. It certainly isn’t treasonous. America is headed down a dark path.”
Krebs had questioned Trump’s claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election in which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
The order signed on Wednesday called for a review of Krebs’ activities as a government employee, including his leadership of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a White House fact sheet said.
“We’re going to find out about this guy too because this guy is a wise guy,” said Trump, calling Krebs “a disgrace.”
Krebs did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Trump fired Krebs in a November 17, 2020, tweet, five days after CISA posted a statement saying the 2020 election was “the most secure in American history.” Trump has falsely claimed that Biden’s win resulted from fraud.
After leaving government, Krebs co-founded the Krebs Stamos Group, a cybersecurity consultancy, along with former Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos.
Cybersecurity firm SentinelOne acquired the consultancy in November 2023, and Krebs became SentinelOne’s chief intelligence and public policy officer.
Trump’s order said security clearances for individuals at Sentinel One would also be revoked pending review.
In a statement, SentinelOne said the company’s focus would remain on “being a force for good in this industry and the world” and that it would continue to nurture partnerships in the U.S. government, military and intelligence community.
It said the company would actively cooperate in any review of security clearances held by any of its personnel, which numbers less than 10 employees overall, and “only where required by existing government processes and procedures to secure government systems.”
“Accordingly, we do not expect this to materially impact our business in any way,” SentinelOne said.
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