Chris Krebs, fired by then-President Donald Trump in 2020 as head of the security agency CISA, is leaving SentinelOne. Krebs resigns after pressure from the White House, where Trump sanctioned him and the company.
In an email, Krebs said he offered his resignation last week. This was in response to Trump’s decision to punish Krebs as part of a retaliation campaign against former officials whom Trump considers insufficiently loyal. The US government revoked Chris Krebs’ security clearance
“This is my fight, not the company’s,” Krebs wrote in his email. Last week, Trump revoked the security clearances of Krebs and SentinelOne employees, denying them access to classified information.
Relationship worsened in 2020
Tensions between Trump and Krebs date back to November 2020, when Trump fired him as CISA director. Krebs refused to support Trump’s claims that Joe Biden had rigged the election, even though Krebs publicly stated that it had been secure at the time.
In his email, Krebs, who held the position of Chief Intelligence and Public Policy Officer at SentinelOne, presented his decision to resign as an attempt to focus his “full attention and energy” on fighting Trump’s decision.
An anonymous source at Reuters said that SentinelOne’s decision to accept Krebs’ resignation confirms that intimidation by the US government works. It is unclear whether Krebs’ departure will lead to restoring SentinelOne’s security certifications. The White House has not yet responded to questions on this matter.