Trump admin ups its attacks on Chris Krebs by booting him from CBP's Global Entry program
And these days, few people are being targeted in Trump's crusade against reality quite like Chris Krebs, his former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
Trump and his administration have targeted him for having the gall to publicly debunk Trump's lies about the 2020 presidential election. Earlier this week, my MSNBC colleague Steve Benen highlighted Krebs' outspokenness as he fights Trump's authoritarian executive order demanding that the Justice Department probe his time leading CISA. And then CNN reported Wednesday that the Trump administration has taken additional steps to make life harder for Krebs by pulling his membership in U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Global Entry program, which allows people to re-enter the country easily.
According to CNN:
Chris Krebs', President Donald Trump's former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, membership in Global Entry has been revoked. Krebs, who has repeatedly attested to the security of the 2020 election, told CNN he finds it hard to believe this isn't another act of retribution from the administration.
On Wednesday afternoon, Krebs received an email saying that his Trusted Traveler Program status had changed. He logged into the program and learned his Global Entry program membership had been revoked, he told CNN. Global Entry is the US Customs and Border Protection program that gives low-risk travelers expedited clearance when they arrive in the US.
Trump earlier this month stripped Krebs of any existing security clearance he may still hold since leaving office and ordered the Justice Department to probe the former official.
Republicans have targeted CISA in their yearslong effort to discredit people who dispel disinformation and identify foreign attempts to manipulate Americans. The Trump administration has slashed millions of dollars from CISA's budget and vowed to establish new priorities.
If there's been one constant throughout Trump's second term, I'd argue it's his administration's angst toward truth-tellers — or, simply put, people whose adherence to facts undercuts Trump's political goals.
I think it's fair to say we saw this when Trump blew up at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for saying Americans will eventually 'feel' the impact from Russia's war against his country. We've seen this in Trump's aforementioned attacks on the free press and a private company that considered shining light on the impact of his destructive tariffs.
And now Krebs is the target of the president's wrath for refusing to accept his warped reality as truth.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Politico
15 minutes ago
- Politico
Trump threatens ‘very significant' Russia sanctions, bashes ‘all talk' Putin
'They will be very, very powerful and very bad for the countries involved,' the president warned of his secondary tariffs. With Putin rebuffing his efforts to end the war, Trump has gradually moved closer to the European position on arming Ukraine. | AP Photo/Alex Brandon By Seb Starcevic 07/15/2025 08:50 PM EDT President Donald Trump upped pressure on Russia to 'stop the killing' in Ukraine within 50 days, warning Tuesday that his threatened economic penalties against Moscow and its trading partners would be devastating. Trump said yesterday he would impose secondary tariffs of up to 100 percent on countries that still trade with Russia in an effort to force the Kremlin to the negotiating table with Ukraine, giving Moscow until early September to respond. A bill by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut that has 85 Senate co-sponsors would authorize the president to impose secondary tariffs of at least 500 percent on imported goods from countries such as China, Brazil and India.
CNN
20 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump says interest in Epstein files is ‘pretty boring stuff'
Trump says interest in Epstein files is 'pretty boring stuff' President Donald Trump said he doesn't understand his supporters' continued interest in the Epstein files, calling it "boring," while also reiterating his call for anything 'credible' to be released. 00:56 - Source: CNN Vertical Politics of the Day 17 videos Trump says interest in Epstein files is 'pretty boring stuff' President Donald Trump said he doesn't understand his supporters' continued interest in the Epstein files, calling it "boring," while also reiterating his call for anything 'credible' to be released. 00:56 - Source: CNN Analysis: Moscow's reaction to Trump's 50-day peace deadline President Donald Trump has vowed further sanctions on Russia if a peace deal is not reached in 50 days. CNN's Chief Global Affairs Correspondent breaks down the Russian reaction and perspective on Monday's announcement from Moscow. 01:13 - Source: CNN Trump's fight with MAGA base over Epstein explained President Trump is at odds with some of his own supporters over after his Attorney General Pam Bondi declined to release more documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case. CNN's Erin Burnett explains the feud inside Trump's MAGA movement. 02:20 - Source: CNN Trump demands Russia reach peace deal within 50 days President Donald Trump made several announcements on Monday aligning him more firmly with Ukraine's defense against Russia's invasion than ever before. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh breaks down the two main developments that could drastically impact the ongoing war. 01:34 - Source: CNN MTG warns of 'big' blowback in MAGA world over handling of Epstein case CNN's Manu Raju spoke with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) who is demanding "transparency" from President Donald Trump's administration when it comes to information related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and warned that the issue could stoke "significant" blowback from the right wing of the party. 01:04 - Source: CNN MAGA faithful weigh in on Epstein files debate At a conservative conference in Florida, Trump supporters share their views on the Epstein files fallout with CNN's Donie O'Sullivan. 01:40 - Source: CNN Trump announces novel plan to send weapons to Ukraine In an Oval Office meeting, President Trump announced that the US will sell weapons to European nations who will then send them to Ukraine. The president also threatened new trade consequences if no peace deal is reached with Ukraine within 50 days. 00:26 - Source: CNN Senator asked if she regrets voting for Trump's policy bill The Senate passed Trump's so-called 'big, beautiful bill' after a 26-hour marathon of negotiations during which Alaska's Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, as she put it later, 'struggled mightily' to soften the biggest funding blows to her state before ultimately casting a vote that guaranteed its passage. CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Manu Raju caught up with Murkowski and asked if she regrets her vote in some of her first public comments about the vote since the bill became law. 01:45 - Source: CNN Journalist offers new account of Trump assassination attempt The Secret Service has issued suspensions for several agents involved in securing the Pennsylvania rally last year where Donald Trump was shot in the ear and a rally goer was killed by the would-be assassin, according to multiple sources. Journalist Salena Zito, who witnessed the assassination attempt, joined Jake Tapper to discuss why she believes "it's about time" suspensions are doled out. 00:49 - Source: CNN Former FBI deputy director slams Bongino-Bondi clash over Epstein Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe reacts to sources telling CNN that current FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is considering resigning. This amid a major clash between the FBI and Justice Department over the continued fallout from the release of the Jeffrey Epstein memo. 01:55 - Source: CNN ICE vehicle runs through protesters CNN affiliate KGO reports that an ICE vehicle ran through protesters attempting to stop an alleged deportation outside the San Francisco Federal Immigration Court. 00:59 - Source: CNN What's behind White House attacks on the Fed Chair? White House advisers are ramping up attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. CNN's Phil Mattingly explains why the Trump Administration could make Powell's life miserable, even as the President says he has no plan to fire him. 02:09 - Source: CNN Trump rebukes reporter for asking about flood alert delays President Donald Trump spoke in Kerrville, TX in the aftermath of devastating flooding in the region. He admonished one reporter for asking his response to families questioning delays of flood alerts. 01:10 - Source: CNN New Yorkers paying millions in Andrew Cuomo's legal bills CNN's MJ Lee investigates how New York taxpayers are footing the bill for Andrew Cuomo's legal defense, after he was accused of sexual harassment. 02:53 - Source: CNN Analysis: Do Trump's words affect Putin's actions? President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin out for throwing "bullsh*t" on peace talks with Ukraine - hours later, Russia launched its largest ever drone attack on Ukraine. CNN's Matthew Chance analyzes whether the US leader's comments have an impact on Russia's military operations. 01:23 - Source: CNN Federal judge blocks Trump's birthright citizenship order A federal judge agreed Thursday to issue a new nationwide block against President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship. CNN's Katelyn Polantz reports. 01:01 - Source: CNN GOP senator reveals details of conversations with Trump over bill vote Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) joins CNN's Jake Tapper to discuss his private conversation with President Donald Trump after voting against the president's agenda — just before announcing he would retire from Congress instead of seeking reelection next November. 03:27 - Source: CNN
Axios
21 minutes ago
- Axios
Inside Hakeem Jeffries' embrace of the Epstein strategy
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is shocking some colleagues by fully embracing efforts to exploit divisions between President Trump and his MAGA base over the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. Why it matters: Amid demands from the liberal grassroots that Democrats take off the gloves with Trump, the Democratic leader has shifted from vowing not to swing at every pitch to adopting a " more is more" strategy. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told Axios he has been "very closely in coordination" with Jeffries' office and that "all indications we've gotten is support from the leadership on this." Zoom out: The Democratic leader has long been known for his often taciturn approach to salacious stories of the day, preferring to remain disciplined and on-message in his public communications. But he has signaled to allies he sees the Epstein story as part of the "more is more" approach and that it fits neatly into a broader narrative about alleged corruption in the Trump administration, sources told Axios. "He's not going to let go of Epstein," one senior House Democrat, who had initially predicted Jeffries wouldn't touch the issue, told Axios on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about internal discussions. State of play: Democrats have spent the last week gleefully needling Trump and his Republican allies in Congress after the Justice Department said that Epstein had no "client list" and died by suicide. That claim runs counter to popular, longstanding conspiracy theories on the right, prompting backlash from much of the GOP grassroots. Several Democrats quickly weighed in by alleging that the Trump administration was engaged in an intentional coverup of the Epstein matter. Driving the news: What began as individual efforts to squeeze the Trump administration into releasing all documents related to Epstein morphed into a fully leadership-sanctioned campaign in less than 24 hours. Reps. Marc Veasey (D-Texas) and Khanna introduced measures that would demand and force the DOJ to publish the documents, respectively. Jeffries said Monday night he had not spoken to either lawmaker or evaluated their proposals, but hours later his members on the House Rules Committee were trying to get both measures to the floor. On Tuesday, Democratic leadership made its support clear by trying to pass a procedural motion that would force a vote on Khanna's bill. Both efforts failed. What they're saying: Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), who was among the first members to weigh in on Epstein last week, told Axios "it seems like leadership is full steam ahead. ... I'm surprised. I felt like I was kind of out there by myself." Said House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.): "I think you've heard the leader himself, his posture is the same as ours: [Republicans] have been the ones obsessed with this ... and now they want to run away from it." What we're hearing: Even as Jeffries has given his blessing, he has cautioned not to abandon other messaging tactics that the party sees as fruitful — part of his "more is more" strategy. In a meeting of House Democrats' steering committee on Monday night, Jeffries urged lawmakers to keep hammering the administration on issues like the cost of living, according to two lawmakers who were present. "This is something he does really well, is trying to keep us focused," said one of the members. The bottom line: "It's a clear fit in something that's a huge priority for us, which is the corruption," a second senior House Democrat told Axios.
