Trump Aides Get Subpoenas Over Krebs' Firing

White House aides to former President Donald Trump have received subpoenas from special counsel Jack Smith, apparently in connection with the firing of the government cybersecurity official who didn't pronounce the 2020 presidential election rigged. Christopher Krebs, who was the Trump administration's chief cybersecurity official at the time and head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, afterward declared the election "the most secure in American history." That contradicted his boss, who weeks after the vote tweeted his disagreement over Krebs' interview on 60 Minutes.

Smith has been asking questions about the November 2020 firing, the New York Times reports. In a tweet announcing the firing, Trump said Krebs—whom he had appointed—had made a "highly inaccurate" statement about the election's reliability. Smith's staff also is looking into the Presidential Personnel Office's dealings with the Justice Department as Trump tried to stay in office; the subpoenas went to former aides worked there about two weeks ago. Witnesses have been asked about Trump efforts to change the hiring process for government employees. Two aides came up with a questionnaire for applicants that asked, for example, "What part of Candidate Trump's campaign message most appealed to you and why?" (More Donald Trump stories.)