Chris Krebs, who formerly led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), said he is leaving SentinelOne to face President Donald Trump’s accusations against him.
Krebs made the announcement on Wednesday, saying he was departing from his role as the chief intelligence and public policy officer at the cybersecurity company.
“From those who know me, you know I don’t shy away from tough fights,” wrote Krebs in an email to the company that was posted to the SentinelOne website. “But I also know this is one I need to take on fully – outside of SentinelOne. This will require my complete focus and energy. It’s a fight for democracy, for freedom of speech, and for the rule of law. I’m prepared to give it everything I’ve got.”
President Trump issued a presidential memorandum last week in which he accused Krebs of being a “bad-faith actor who weaponized and abused his government authority” while leading CISA from 2018 to 2020.
Trump fired Krebs following the 2020 presidential election after Krebs said that the election was conducted securely and without significant voter fraud.
While attacking Krebs with unfounded and unproven allegations, Trump directed Federal agencies to revoke any security clearances held by Krebs and SentinelOne.
Following the announcement of his departure, SentinelOne CEO Tomer Weingarten thanked Krebs for his work.
“I know I speak on behalf of all of us when I say thank you to Chris for his transparency and integrity – especially in this difficult moment,” wrote Weingarten in an email also sent to company employees and posted on its website. “It reflects the values he has always brought to SentinelOne and to the people around him.”
The investigation comes as Federal officials and lawmakers are wary of the Trump administration’s efforts to plant political supporters and appointees throughout the Federal government and reduce CISA’s workforce.
When signing the memo last week, Trump said “this guy Krebs was saying, oh, the election was great, it was great. That was a very corrupt election.”
In a LinkedIn post about his departure, Krebs wrote in Latin “Illegitimi non carborundum,” which loosely translates to “don’t let the bastards grind you down.”