DHS Appointees Seek Secret Voting Machine Hack Test After Trump Returns
(MENAFN) Political appointees at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) urged the nation’s cybersecurity agency to secretly acquire a voting machine and attempt to breach its security shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term, according to reports published Monday.
Two former administration officials said the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was expected to deliver its findings directly to the White House while withholding any discovered security flaws from the machine’s manufacturer, departing from standard procedures.
The request raised concerns among career employees about potential political interference. One former official said "my thought was they could keep it in their back pocket to invalidate any (election) results they don’t like."
CISA staff repeatedly warned that the proposed operation was not feasible, in part because specialists with the necessary expertise had been dismissed as part of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative. The political appointees ultimately abandoned the effort, according to the report.
Since Trump returned to the White House, more than 1,000 CISA employees have reportedly been dismissed or left their positions, reducing the agency’s workforce by approximately one-third. The president’s proposed budget for 2027 calls for an additional $700 million in cuts, potentially resulting in another 900 job losses.
Several state election offices have also reported receiving no assistance from CISA as they prepare for the upcoming midterm elections.
Two former administration officials said the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was expected to deliver its findings directly to the White House while withholding any discovered security flaws from the machine’s manufacturer, departing from standard procedures.
The request raised concerns among career employees about potential political interference. One former official said "my thought was they could keep it in their back pocket to invalidate any (election) results they don’t like."
CISA staff repeatedly warned that the proposed operation was not feasible, in part because specialists with the necessary expertise had been dismissed as part of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative. The political appointees ultimately abandoned the effort, according to the report.
Since Trump returned to the White House, more than 1,000 CISA employees have reportedly been dismissed or left their positions, reducing the agency’s workforce by approximately one-third. The president’s proposed budget for 2027 calls for an additional $700 million in cuts, potentially resulting in another 900 job losses.
Several state election offices have also reported receiving no assistance from CISA as they prepare for the upcoming midterm elections.
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