In response to the Trump administration eliminating the White House’s top cyber security job in its continued failure to seriously address cyber threats, DNC deputy communications director Adrienne Watson released the following statement:

“Despite Trump’s top intelligence officials warning that Russia will attack our democracy again, Trump refuses to take this ongoing threat seriously.  By eliminating the White House’s top cybersecurity job, Trump is failing to protect our national security, and turning a blind eye to those seeking to undermine our democracy and eliminate free and fair elections in America.”

The White House dealt a major setback to progress on U.S. cyber efforts by eliminating the cybersecurity coordinator position.

Politico: “Cybersecurity experts and former National Security Council officials expressed alarm at the idea of eliminating the job, saying it would undo much of the progress the U.S. has made on cyber efforts and send the wrong message about U.S. priorities in the digital domain. The coordinator — a post created at the beginning of the Obama administration — leads a team of NSC staffers who manage federal cyber strategy on everything from election security to encryption policies to digital warfare.”

Trump’s top intelligence appointees said they had not been “directed by the president” or granted authority to address election interference.

CNN: “US Cyber Command chief Adm. Mike Rogers told lawmakers on Tuesday that he has not been granted the authority by President Donald Trump to disrupt Russian election hacking operations where they originate.”

Washington Post: “FBI Director Christopher A. Wray said the bureau is undertaking ‘a lot of specific activities’ to counter Russian meddling but was ‘not specifically directed by the president.’”

Trump broke his promise to conduct a cybersecurity review in his first 90 days, and failed to put forward any serious plan.

Politico: “President-elect Donald Trump was very clear: ‘I will appoint a team to give me a plan within 90 days of taking office,’ he said in January, after getting a U.S. intelligence assessment of Russian interference in last year’s elections and promising to address cybersecurity.  Thursday, Trump hits his 90-day mark. There is no team, there is no plan, and there is no clear answer from the White House on who would even be working on what.”

Members of a federal advisory council resigned in protest over Trump’s “insufficient attention” from Trump to cyber threats.

International Business Times: “Trump’s Cybersecurity Advisors Quit In Protest Over ‘Insufficient Attention’ From The President”

International Business Times: “The US National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) has lost eight of its 28 members. The council is an advisory body that works with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on issues ranging from functional systems to cyber networks, according to the body’s charter.  In their resignation letter, members who have stepped down said that US President Donald Trump was not giving enough attention to the country’s cyber threats and vulnerabilities, among other reasons.”