Ex-CISA chief slams MAGA 'manufactured outrage' after sudden West Point firing
(2025/08/01)
- Reference: 1754003831
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/07/31/jen_easterly_west_point_termination/
- Source link:
comment Jen Easterly has weighed in on the US Army Secretary firing her from a prestigious West Point teaching post a day after the US Military Academy announced the appointment.
The termination, announced — where else — on X by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, seemingly proves the former CISA chief's comments about loyalty to the president taking precedence over loyalty to the nation.
In a lengthy LinkedIn [1]post on Thursday, the former US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) chief said "the opportunity to serve again at my alma mater was rescinded — a casualty of casually manufactured outrage that drowned out the quiet labor of truth and the steady pulse of integrity."
[2]
Easterly, who described herself as a "lifelong independent" and noted her military and public service under both Republican and Democratic administrations, said she has "worked my entire career not as a partisan, but as a patriot — not in pursuit of power, but in service to the country I love and in loyalty to the Constitution I swore to protect and defend, against all enemies."
[3]
[4]
She added, this isn't about her. "This is about something larger," Easterly wrote:
It's about the sacred trust we place in those who wear the uniform — and the damage threatened when that trust is eroded by partisanship. The U.S. military — including its academies — must remain an institution above politics, grounded in service to the Constitution. When outrage is weaponized and truth discarded, it tears at the fabric of unity and undermines the very ethos that draws brave young men and women to serve and sacrifice: Duty, Honor, Country.
Two days earlier, in a [5]now-deleted LinkedIn post, the US Military Academy at West Point announced that Easterly would [6]return to the academy as a Robert F. McDermott Distinguished Chair in West Point's Department of Social Sciences, where she previously taught economics and national security.
Soon after, far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer [7]criticized Easterly's appointment on X, posting: "Why are Biden holdovers who worked to silence Trump supporters under Biden getting elevated to high level jobs under the Trump admin?"
On Wednesday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll [8]fired Easterly before she even began her new gig. "I have immediately directed West Point to…Rescind Jen Easterly's offer to serve as the McDermott Chair," Driscoll xeeted.
[9]
When asked why Driscoll rescinded Easterly's appointment, and whether it was related to Loomer's attacks on social media, a US Army spokesperson emailed The Register the following statement:
The Secretary of the Army took immediate action to direct West Point to terminate the service agreement with Jen Easterly, pause outside groups from selecting Academy employees or instructors, and has requested a review of West Point's hiring practices.
Ahead of the upcoming academic year, we are crafting a deliberate approach to ensure that our future officers are best prepared to meet the demands of the modern battlefield.
The statement doesn't answer either of our questions. But if we had to guess, we'd say Easterly was fired because as CISA director, she advocated for election security, which includes [10]securing voting infrastructure and [11]fighting online disinformation , both the kind that originates from Russian troll farms and the home-grown kind.
Easterly's predecessor, Chris Krebs, spoke out against the latter kind and also faced the wrath of the Trump administration.
Krebs, a Republican who Trump appointed to lead the CISA in 2018, was [12]fired via tweet five years ago after he publicly contradicted Trump's false claims of election fraud, describing the 2020 US presidential election "the most secure in American history."
[13]Ex-CISA chief decries cuts as Trump demands loyalty above all else
[14]Trump kills clearances for infosec's SentinelOne, ex-CISA boss Chris Krebs
[15]CISA: Wow, that election had a lot of foreign trolling. Trump's Homeland Sec pick: And that's none of your concern
[16]Ex-CISA employee: 'This culture of fear started permeating the agency'
In April, Krebs became the target of a [17]Department of Justice probe and an executive order accusing him of using CISA to pursue a "partisan mission" and covering up alleged proof that "the 2020 election was rigged and stolen." Krebs, along with all of his [18]former SentinelOne co-workers , also had their security clearances revoked.
Now with Easterly's apparent blackballing, both of CISA's former directors have landed on Trump's hit list. Perhaps current nominee [19]Sean Plankey , slated to become CISA's third boss since the first Trump administration created the cyber agency, should reconsider.
The Army Secretary's moves also reminded us of Easterly's concerns about [20]CISA being gutted due to a "mandate for loyalty to a person over loyalty to the Constitution of the United States of America."
[21]
"That's a loss for everybody in our nation, because cybersecurity is national security," [22]Easterly said , during a panel discussion on the outskirts of the annual RSA Conference in April. "Americans should be bothered if there's some other loyalty being required."
Three months later, her words seem not only prescient, but also prophetic. ®
Get our [23]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/harder-right-jen-easterly-hi1be/?trackingId=%2BytYCv9LSqyzbQseIC4erg%3D%3D
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7356103958228082688/
[6] https://www.hstoday.us/industry/people-on-the-move/jen-easterly-former-cisa-director-returns-to-west-point-as-distinguished-chair-in-social-sciences-department/
[7] https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1950363597860700216
[8] https://x.com/SecArmy/status/1950580548029595746
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/08/election_tech_is_fine_says/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/18/cisa_election_security_isnt_political/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/18/trump_fires_krebs/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/30/excisa_boss_agency_cuts/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/10/trump_cisa_investigation_memo/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/18/cisa_election_security_isnt_political/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/28/former_cisa_employee_interview/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/10/trump_cisa_investigation_memo/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/17/krebs_quits_sentinelone/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/29/cisa_wyden_us_telecoms_insecurity_report/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/06/cisa_budget_cuts/
[21] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/30/excisa_boss_agency_cuts/
[23] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The termination, announced — where else — on X by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, seemingly proves the former CISA chief's comments about loyalty to the president taking precedence over loyalty to the nation.
In a lengthy LinkedIn [1]post on Thursday, the former US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) chief said "the opportunity to serve again at my alma mater was rescinded — a casualty of casually manufactured outrage that drowned out the quiet labor of truth and the steady pulse of integrity."
[2]
Easterly, who described herself as a "lifelong independent" and noted her military and public service under both Republican and Democratic administrations, said she has "worked my entire career not as a partisan, but as a patriot — not in pursuit of power, but in service to the country I love and in loyalty to the Constitution I swore to protect and defend, against all enemies."
[3]
[4]
She added, this isn't about her. "This is about something larger," Easterly wrote:
It's about the sacred trust we place in those who wear the uniform — and the damage threatened when that trust is eroded by partisanship. The U.S. military — including its academies — must remain an institution above politics, grounded in service to the Constitution. When outrage is weaponized and truth discarded, it tears at the fabric of unity and undermines the very ethos that draws brave young men and women to serve and sacrifice: Duty, Honor, Country.
Two days earlier, in a [5]now-deleted LinkedIn post, the US Military Academy at West Point announced that Easterly would [6]return to the academy as a Robert F. McDermott Distinguished Chair in West Point's Department of Social Sciences, where she previously taught economics and national security.
Soon after, far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer [7]criticized Easterly's appointment on X, posting: "Why are Biden holdovers who worked to silence Trump supporters under Biden getting elevated to high level jobs under the Trump admin?"
On Wednesday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll [8]fired Easterly before she even began her new gig. "I have immediately directed West Point to…Rescind Jen Easterly's offer to serve as the McDermott Chair," Driscoll xeeted.
[9]
When asked why Driscoll rescinded Easterly's appointment, and whether it was related to Loomer's attacks on social media, a US Army spokesperson emailed The Register the following statement:
The Secretary of the Army took immediate action to direct West Point to terminate the service agreement with Jen Easterly, pause outside groups from selecting Academy employees or instructors, and has requested a review of West Point's hiring practices.
Ahead of the upcoming academic year, we are crafting a deliberate approach to ensure that our future officers are best prepared to meet the demands of the modern battlefield.
The statement doesn't answer either of our questions. But if we had to guess, we'd say Easterly was fired because as CISA director, she advocated for election security, which includes [10]securing voting infrastructure and [11]fighting online disinformation , both the kind that originates from Russian troll farms and the home-grown kind.
Easterly's predecessor, Chris Krebs, spoke out against the latter kind and also faced the wrath of the Trump administration.
Krebs, a Republican who Trump appointed to lead the CISA in 2018, was [12]fired via tweet five years ago after he publicly contradicted Trump's false claims of election fraud, describing the 2020 US presidential election "the most secure in American history."
[13]Ex-CISA chief decries cuts as Trump demands loyalty above all else
[14]Trump kills clearances for infosec's SentinelOne, ex-CISA boss Chris Krebs
[15]CISA: Wow, that election had a lot of foreign trolling. Trump's Homeland Sec pick: And that's none of your concern
[16]Ex-CISA employee: 'This culture of fear started permeating the agency'
In April, Krebs became the target of a [17]Department of Justice probe and an executive order accusing him of using CISA to pursue a "partisan mission" and covering up alleged proof that "the 2020 election was rigged and stolen." Krebs, along with all of his [18]former SentinelOne co-workers , also had their security clearances revoked.
Now with Easterly's apparent blackballing, both of CISA's former directors have landed on Trump's hit list. Perhaps current nominee [19]Sean Plankey , slated to become CISA's third boss since the first Trump administration created the cyber agency, should reconsider.
The Army Secretary's moves also reminded us of Easterly's concerns about [20]CISA being gutted due to a "mandate for loyalty to a person over loyalty to the Constitution of the United States of America."
[21]
"That's a loss for everybody in our nation, because cybersecurity is national security," [22]Easterly said , during a panel discussion on the outskirts of the annual RSA Conference in April. "Americans should be bothered if there's some other loyalty being required."
Three months later, her words seem not only prescient, but also prophetic. ®
Get our [23]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/harder-right-jen-easterly-hi1be/?trackingId=%2BytYCv9LSqyzbQseIC4erg%3D%3D
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7356103958228082688/
[6] https://www.hstoday.us/industry/people-on-the-move/jen-easterly-former-cisa-director-returns-to-west-point-as-distinguished-chair-in-social-sciences-department/
[7] https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1950363597860700216
[8] https://x.com/SecArmy/status/1950580548029595746
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/08/08/election_tech_is_fine_says/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/18/cisa_election_security_isnt_political/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2020/11/18/trump_fires_krebs/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/30/excisa_boss_agency_cuts/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/10/trump_cisa_investigation_memo/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/18/cisa_election_security_isnt_political/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/28/former_cisa_employee_interview/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/10/trump_cisa_investigation_memo/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/17/krebs_quits_sentinelone/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2025/07/29/cisa_wyden_us_telecoms_insecurity_report/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2025/05/06/cisa_budget_cuts/
[21] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_onprem/publicsector&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aIw72EQhL9a1kkOpVVYwSwAAABI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/30/excisa_boss_agency_cuts/
[23] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
You missed
retiredFool
"Easterly's predecessor, Chris Krebs, spoke out against the latter kind and also faced the wrath of the Trump administration. " Chris was a guy and was even appointed by the clown. No it is all about loyalty, blind absolute complete loyalty. Imagine that king with no clothes on and no one saying anything. That would be a true test of blind loyalty.
Pretty much creating
Ryan D
Soldiers committed to dear leader and not the constitution. Achievement unlocked /s
A shower of golden ballrooms, cards, and domes awaits
HuBo
Wooaahh, so close! Driscoll just about failed his daily buttcrack caliper loyalty comptrol ... good thing Laura Loomer's vigilant digital feeler gauges were at the ready to right meatpuppet his feeble backside back into proper submission posture in that unique wrestlemania mad ministration move we like to call " the crassy invisible hand of the Deep proState " -- huh, I mean classy, of course!
Well, you know how it is in these days of great emergency , gotta " protect and defend, against all enemies folks foreign with half a brain and domestic guts " who might question the Ayatollah orange, defy the ideological institution of mandatory loyalty comptrols, and exhibit maturity and intelligence ... imho, and chihuahuas! Best of times!!!
But if we had to guess, we'd say Easterly was fired because as CISA director, she advocated for election security, which includes securing voting infrastructure and fighting online disinformation, both the kind that originates from Russian troll farms and the home-grown kind.
Could be. Also could be something related to that "she" pronoun used throughout the article. Hegsweth has fired pretty much any woman he comes across.