{"id":36559,"date":"2020-11-14T15:54:10","date_gmt":"2020-11-14T19:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=36559"},"modified":"2020-11-14T15:54:10","modified_gmt":"2020-11-14T19:54:10","slug":"dhs-head-deep-state-operative-chad-wolf-brazenly-defies-president-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/?p=36559","title":{"rendered":"DHS Head <i>Deep State<\/i> Operative Chad Wolf Brazenly Defies President Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>DHS boss Chad Wolf defies Trump order to fire cyber chief Chris Krebs<\/h1>\n<p><!--more--><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" height=\"348\" width=\"618\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/players.brightcove.net\/4137224153001\/6aIMRO3kiI_default\/index.html?videoId=6209714087001\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>By Steven Nelson<br \/>\nNew York Post<\/p>\n<p>Department of Homeland Security acting Secretary Chad Wolf is defying President Trump\u2019s order to terminate election cybersecurity official Christopher Krebs, multiple sources tell The Post.<\/p>\n<p>The White House on Wednesday evening instructed Wolf to fire Krebs after Krebs openly dismissed claims of voter fraud in the Nov. 3 election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe gave us a bunch of reasons why he didn\u2019t want to do it and he said no,\u201d a senior White House official told The Post about Wolf\u2019s refusal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf anything, Chad is carrying Krebs\u2019 water,\u201d the source added.<\/p>\n<p>Krebs, a former Microsoft executive, has since 2017 led DHS\u2019s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and recently launched a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/rumorcontrol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cRumor Control\u201d<\/a>\u00a0website to debunk claims of voter fraud. A CISA panel\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/news\/2020\/11\/12\/joint-statement-elections-infrastructure-government-coordinating-council-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">declared Thursday<\/a>\u00a0that the \u201cNovember 3rd election was the most secure in American history,\u201d rejecting Trump\u2019s claims of widespread fraud.<\/p>\n<p>A different administration official said \u201cthe president wants to fire him\u201d and \u201cChad Wolf is refusing.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16618749\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a class=\"modal-trigger\">Enlarge Image<\/a><a class=\"post-image\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all\"><img class=\"size-nypost-large-desktop-uncropped wp-image-16618749 lazyloaded\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 662px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=662 662w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1324 1324w\" alt=\"Chad Wolf\" width=\"662\" height=\"441\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=300 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=640 640w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1280 1280w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=662 662w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/chad-wolf-trump.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1324 1324w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 662px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Chad Wolf<span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Both officials told The Post that there was no ambiguity about whether the termination order came from the president, who says fraud resulted in narrow unofficial losses to President-elect Joe Biden in crucial swing states.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly, it was the president saying, \u2018What the heck is this guy doing? He\u2019s giving me grief before the election and now he\u2019s saying there\u2019s nothing wrong in the world?&#8217;\u201d the White House official said.<\/p>\n<p>Krebs irked Trump allies even before he refuted claims that election fraud tilted results toward Biden. Foes claim he\u2019s close to former DHS chief of staff Miles Taylor, who\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/10\/28\/anonymous-is-former-dhs-official-miles-taylor\/\">recently outed himself as \u201cAnonymous.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A third person familiar with the matter noted concern that Krebs employs an appointee of President Barack Obama, Matt Masterson, as his senior adviser for election security.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChad was asked by the president to fire Anonymous\u2019 best friend and he\u2019s refusing,\u201d the administration official said. \u201cHe is not managing his agency, but that should not surprise anyone because he is a [former DHS Secretary Kirstjen] Nielsen lackey.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Taylor did not respond to a request for comment from The Post about whether Krebs is indeed a friend.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unclear if Trump will use his unilateral right to dismiss Krebs from his post without Wolf\u2019s assistance, officials said.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesman for Wolf said, \u201cAll political appointees serve at the pleasure of the president. The White House has unilateral authority in hiring and firing of presidential appointees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Wolf, in office less than a year, immediately preceded Taylor as Nielsen\u2019s chief of staff. But he\u2019s an unlikely face of lame-duck resistance to Trump after regularly backing the president\u2019s policies in public and helping put down anti-police brutality riots this year.<\/p>\n<p>Among Krebs\u2019 sins, according to sources, is his decision to host an election night gathering at a northern Virginia office building \u2014 described by a detractor as a watch party. A document reviewed by The Post indicates it was attended by two staffers of Dominion Voting Systems, whose platform\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/11\/06\/michigan-gop-claims-software-issue-undercounted-trump-votes\/\">miscounted some Michigan votes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"inline-related alignleft\">\n<div id=\"more-on\" class=\"module--see-also box module inline related desktop\">\n<div class=\"module-title inline\">\n<h4>SEE ALSO<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"module-wrapper \">\n<article class=\"story-photo-box  oversize-headline\"><a class=\"story-thumbnail-wrapper\" tabindex=\"-1\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/11\/06\/michigan-gop-claims-software-issue-undercounted-trump-votes\/\"><picture class=\"story-thumbnail\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/Laura-Cox.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=231&amp;h=154&amp;crop=1 1x\" media=\"(min-width: 640px)\" sizes=\"100vw\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/Laura-Cox.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=231&amp;h=154&amp;crop=1 1x\" data-sizes=\"\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/Laura-Cox.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=94&amp;h=62&amp;crop=1 1x\" media=\"(max-width: 639px)\" sizes=\"100vw\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/11\/Laura-Cox.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=94&amp;h=62&amp;crop=1 1x\" data-sizes=\"\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" lazyloaded\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"\" \/><\/picture><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"headline-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"headline-container\">\n<h3 class=\"postid-16581435 headline\">Michigan Republicans claim software issue undercounted Trump votes<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dominion software\u2019s widespread use across states is a focus of Trump backers claiming fraud.<\/p>\n<p>Krebs told associates this week he believes he will be fired, according to reports, and some detractors believe he is trying his best to get terminated \u2014 potentially to boost future career opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday, Krebs\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/beckerdavidj\/status\/1327002189831827462\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">retweeted<\/a>\u00a0a message urging people not to circulate \u201cwild and baseless claims about voting machines, even if they\u2019re made by the president.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cKrebs is trying to make himself a resistance hero, obviously,\u201d the senior administration official said.<\/p>\n<p>The official added: \u201cIt\u2019s not surprising that Wolf would be protecting someone who worked closely with him under Nielsen along with Anonymous. It kinda makes you wonder if they\u2019re putting the resistance ahead of the president they are supposed to be serving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/11\/13\/dhs-boss-chad-wolf-defies-trump-order-to-fire-cyber-chief-chris-krebs\/\">https:\/\/nypost.com\/2020\/11\/13\/dhs-boss-chad-wolf-defies-trump-order-to-fire-cyber-chief-chris-krebs\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DHS boss Chad Wolf defies Trump order to fire cyber chief Chris Krebs<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36559"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36559\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}