WASHINGTON — Chris Krebs, a top cybersecurity official in the first Trump administration, announced he is stepping down from his private sector role to focus on fighting back against an order the president signed last week directing an investigation into him. 

What You Need To Know

  • Chris Krebs, a top cybersecurity official in the first Trump administration, announced he is stepping down from his private sector role to focus on fighting back against an order the president signed last week directing an investigation into him
  • Krebs, who served as the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, during President Donald Trump's first term in the White House, explained to colleagues that he offered his resignation immediately after the president signed the executive order that named him and SentinelOne last week
  • “This will require my complete focus and energy,” he wrote, adding, “It’s a fight for democracy, for freedom of speech, and for the rule of law"
  • Trump signed an executive order last week stripping his former senior cybersecurity official of any active security clearances he may still have held and calling for a probe into his actions during his time in the first administration

  • Krebs was fired by Trump after he pushed back against claims of a stolen 2020 election

In an email sent to employees at the cybersecurity company SentinelOne, Krebs — who, according to the note, was serving as the chief intelligence and public policy officer at the firm — told his colleagues he was leaving immediately, stressing that the decision was “mine alone.” 

Krebs, who served as the head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, during President Donald Trump's first term in the White House, explained to colleagues that he offered his resignation immediately after the president signed the executive order that named him and SentinelOne last week. Krebs went on to emphasize that the standoff with the president is his fight, not the company’s, and made clear he plans to “take it on fully.” 

“This will require my complete focus and energy,” he wrote. “It’s a fight for democracy, for freedom of speech, and for the rule of law.”

The Wall Street Journal was first to report on Krebs’ decision with the cybersecurity official vowing to fight in an interview with the outlet.

Trump, who fired Krebs in a post on what was then Twitter two weeks after the 2020 election, signed an executive order last week stripping his former senior cybersecurity official of any active security clearances he may still have held and calling for a probe into his actions during his time in the first administration. The order also looked to revoke any security clearances of others at SentinelOne.

In an initial statement in response to the order last week, SentinelOne pledged to “actively cooperate in any review of security clearances held by any of our personnel.” 

Krebs became snarled in the ire of Trump when he pushed back on the president’s claims that the 2020 election was stolen. His agency, along with a few other groups, issued a statement at the time calling the election “the most secure in American history” and stating that there was “no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”

He also gave testimony to the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.