WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, released the following statement after it was announced that Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Director Chris Krebs was removed from his position:

“Earlier this year, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission issued a nonpartisan report including more than 75 recommendations outlining opportunities for America to improve its national cyber defense posture. Several of these recommendations are focused on expanding the resources and authorities of CISA – because, throughout our year of work, we consistently saw that CISA was among our nation’s most important cyber assets. This success doesn’t happen without Chris Krebs.

“Chris Krebs is an incredibly bright, high-performing, and dedicated public servant, who has helped build up new cyber capabilities in the face of swiftly-evolving dangers. This year’s robust election security and public awareness campaign exceeded our expectations, especially given the unique political and technological challenges. Equally important is the less publicized work CISA has done to protect our nation’s other critical infrastructure assets. We should be empowering Chris and his team to do more, not punishing them for their doing their job.

“By firing Mr. Krebs for simply doing his job, President Trump is inflicting severe damage on all Americans – who rely on CISA’s defenses, even if they don’t know it. If there’s any silver lining in this unjust decision, it’s this: I hope that President-elect Biden will recognize Chris’s contributions, and consult with him as the Biden administration charts the future of this critically important agency.”

The Cyberspace Solarium Commission was established by statute in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and officially launched in April 2019. The Commissioners convened nearly every Monday that Congress was in session for a year, and its staff conducted more than 400 engagements, drawing upon the expertise of corporate leaders, federal, state and local officials, academics, and cybersecurity experts. The final report, issued on March 11, lays out more than 75 recommendations to improve the security of U.S. critical infrastructure and provides a strategic approach of layered cyber deterrence to defend the United States against cyberattacks of significant consequences. The Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s final report can be read in full HERE. Click HERE to read or download the detailed executive summary.