Trump’s pick to run the nation’s cybersecurity agency, Sean Plankey, evaded some questions about election security in his confirmation hearing with a Senate committee on Thursday morning.
When Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) asked him if the 2020 election was rigged and stolen, the nominee said he had not reviewed that election’s cybersecurity and his personal opinions weren’t relevant. He acknowledged that President Joe Biden was confirmed by the electoral college and sworn in.
Blumenthal then pressed Plankey on what he would do if Trump later pushed him to falsely claim the 2026 or 2028 elections were rigged.
“Senator, as a cybersecurity professional, these are state-run elections,” Plankey answered. “I have not reviewed the cybersecurity posture of all 50 states. That’s like a doctor who’s diagnosing somebody over the television because they saw him on the news.”
“No, it’s like a doctor who has a patient come to him and is responsible for doing the diagnosis,” Blumenthal replied. The senator called Plankey’s answers “unsatisfactory” and accused him of “undermining the confidence of the nation in the election apparatus.”
The uncomfortable exchange reflects partisan tensions over the role CISA should play in combating the rise of election fraud claims that have frayed the nation’s trust in election officials and voting machines. CISA is tasked with protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure, from dams and power plants to banks and voting systems.
Trump signed an executive order earlier this year directing the Justice Department to investigate former CISA head Chris Krebs and strip his security clearances. Krebs became a target of the president’s ire after he insisted the 2020 election was secure and ballot counts were accurate.
