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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 25 april 2019
Former DHS head took up cyber despite White House aversion
By COLLEEN LONG
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top
White House official told
Kirstjen Nielsen, then Home-
land Security secretary, not
to bring up election secu-
rity with President Donald
Trump, steering her away
from discussing a critical
national security threat with
a president who bristles at
suggestions that Russian in-
terference contributed to
his 2016 victory, according
to two people familiar with
the matter.
One official said the guid- In this April 10, 2019, file photo, outgoing Homeland Security
ance from acting chief of
at the Homeland Security headquarters Center Building at the
staff Mick Mulvaney wasn’t old St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington.
related to the sensitivity of
the election interference is- telligence and federal au-
sue, but to keep the White thorities are conducting se-
House meetings concen- curity breach training drills.
trated on border secu- “The Trump administration
rity, the most visible part will not tolerate foreign in-
of Nielsen’s sprawling port- terference in our elections,
folio and the top item on and we’ve already taken
Trump’s political agenda. many steps to prevent it in
But it suggests a lack of the future,” he said.
White House focus on pre- Still, Trump and his aides
venting cyberattacks, have said Russia’s 2016 in-
which Nielsen described terference was exagger-
during her tenure as a big- ated. Jared Kushner, the
ger terrorism threat to the president’s son-in-law and
United States than planes senior adviser, on Tuesday
or bombs. The potential during an interview at the
for foreign cyberattacks Time 100 Summit in New
to shape U.S. elections York minimized Russia’s in-
Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen speaks at the dedication ceremony has been in the spotlight volvement by describing it
as special counsel Robert as “buying some Facebook
Associated Press Mueller’s report outlined ads to try to sow dissent.”
efforts made by Russia to “But I think the investiga-
steal thousands of emails tions, and all of the specu-
and internal documents lation that’s happened for
from the Democratic Party the last two years, has had
and the Clinton campaign a much harsher impact
in 2016. on our democracy than a
Despite the lack of White couple of Facebook ads,”
House coordination, he said.
Nielsen continued to work Nielsen resigned April 7 af-
on election and cyberse- ter a rocky 16-month ten-
curity with other adminis- ure and amid a staff shake-
tration officials, accord- up at her department or-
ing to people familiar with chestrated by the White
the matter. They spoke on House frustrated by the
condition of anonymity be- surging number of Central
cause they were not au- American migrants cross-
thorized to discuss private ing the U.S.-Mexico. Trump
meetings. named as acting secre-
The New York Times was the tary Kevin McAleenan, the
first to report that Nielsen head of U.S. Customs and
had been told not to talk Border Protection, who has
about the topic. little cyber experience. He
Mulvaney said in a state- has since attended meet-
ment he did not recall ings on cybersecurity and is
any meetings in which he working to get up to speed
told Nielsen not to bring on the topic, aides said.
up election security, and Nielsen, in meetings with
stressed the topic was very Trump, would attempt to
important. Trump signed an explain to the president
executive order last fall au- that her department was
thorizing sanctions against responsible for much more
foreigners who meddle in than immigration, accord-
U.S. elections and request- ing to two people famil-
ed $17.6 billion for federal iar with the matter. But
cybersecurity efforts next Trump’s staff, dealing with
year in his budget. Mul- a president with a short at-
vaney added that federal, tention span and a focus
state and local govern- on border security, would
ments are now sharing in- push her to stay on topic.q