Ex-U.S. cybersecurity chief Chris Krebs tells 60 Minutes how he knows the 2020 election wasn't rigged

Chris Krebs on 60 Minutes
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/60 Minutes)

Christopher Krebs and his team spent years working to build the new Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and help protect U.S. elections, among other critical infrastructure, before President Trump abruptly fired him over Twitter for putting out a joint statement calling the 2020 election the "most secure in American history." Krebs explained on Sunday's 60 Minutes why he's so sure the election was free from hacking and foreign meddling, and why Trump and his fringy lawyers are wrong to allege otherwise.

"I'm not a public servant anymore, but I feel I still got some public service left in me," Krebs told Scott Pelley, explaining why he's speaking out publicly. "And if I can reinforce or confirm for one person that the vote was secure, the election was secure, then I feel like I've done my job."

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Krebs said he found the efforts from Trump and his lawyers to "undermine confidence in the election, to confuse people, to scare people" upsetting because it's actively "undermining democracy" but also because the some of the tens of thousands of election workers putting in 18-hour days are now "getting death threats for trying to carry out one of our core democratic institutions, an election."

Fired director of U.S. cyber agency Chris Krebs explains why he says vote was "most secure in Ame… - YouTube Fired director of U.S. cyber agency Chris Krebs explains why he says vote was
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In 60 Minutes Overtime, Krebs explained why he set up the CISA "Rumor Control" site, and why he's especially proud of his explainer on the impossibility of hacking voting results.

Chris Krebs debunks 2020 Election rumors - YouTube Chris Krebs debunks 2020 Election rumors - YouTube
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Krebs also said he isn't aware of anyone at the White House asking CISA to throw doubt on the integrity of the election, and he explained that his team frequently briefed everyone from local election officials to Cabinet agencies and the White House about CISA's efforts. "Everybody, for the most part, got it," he said.

Chris Krebs to 60 Minutes: 2020 Election was secure - YouTube Chris Krebs to 60 Minutes: 2020 Election was secure - YouTube
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"I had a job to do, we did it right, I would do it over again 1,000 times," Krebs said. "CISA did the right thing. ... State and local election officials did the right thing."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.