Outgoing U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly says she hopes her agency will be able to keep up its election-related work.

This Friday, Jan. 8, 2021 image shows the suspended Twitter account of President Donald Trump. On Friday, the social media company permanently suspended Trump from its platform, citing "risk of further incitement of violence." (AP Photo/Tali Arbel)WASHINGTON – Social media companies decided this past week they had finally seen enough from President Donald Trump. Facebook and Instagram suspended Trump at least until Inauguration Day. That’s not how this works,” said Chris Krebs, when asked Sunday whether censorship by social media companies violated freedom of speech protections.

While abrupt, the dismissal Tuesday of Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was not a surprise. Hours before being dismissed, Krebs tweeted out a report citing 59 election security experts saying there is no credible evidence of computer fraud in the 2020 election outcome. Biden campaign spokesman Michael Gwin noted that bipartisan election officials have dismissed Trump’s claims of widespread fraud. Some state election officials and Republicans, suspicious of federal intrusion on their turf, were opposed to the designation. But the Trump administration supported the designation, and, eventually, skeptical state officials welcomed the assistance.

While abrupt, the dismissal of Christopher Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, was not a surprise. Hours before being dismissed, Krebs tweeted out a report citing 59 election security experts saying there is no credible evidence of computer fraud in the 2020 election outcome. Biden campaign spokesman Michael Gwin noted that bipartisan election officials have dismissed Trump’s claims of widespread fraud. Some state election officials and Republicans, suspicious of federal intrusion on their turf, were opposed to the designation. But the Trump administration supported the designation, and, eventually, skeptical state officials welcomed the assistance.

(AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)WASHINGTON – Four weeks ahead of Election Day, senior national security officials provided fresh assurances about the integrity of the elections in a video message Tuesday, putting them at odds with President Donald Trump’s efforts to discredit the vote. “That's because of an all-of-nation, unprecedented election security effort over the last several years." The video was released as U.S. officials have revealed ongoing foreign efforts to interfere in the election, including Russian attempts to denigrate Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. "Despite these nefarious efforts, our election system remains resilient," said Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. “Rest assured that the security of the election, and safeguarding your vote is, and will continue to be one of our highest priorities,” Wray said.

Voter registration databases could be an attractive target for these attacks," Chris Krebs, DHS's top cyber official, said in a statement provided to CNN. Voter registration systems, however, tend to be online, as they're frequently updated. According to intelligence officials and former special counsel Robert Mueller's office, Russian military intelligence broke in to the voter registration database of the Illinois State Board of Elections in 2016, then accessed the state voter registration database. Republicans have blocked bills focused on election security even as senior security officials warn that Russia and others continue to pose a threat. That is why we are working alongside election officials and their private sector partners to help protect their databases and respond to possible ransomware attacks," Krebs said.