Republicans immediately jumped to defend DHS official Chris Krebs, who was fired by Donald Trump via Twitter on Tuesday night.
GOP Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska said Krebs “did a really good job” and “obviously should not be fired.”
Sen. Sasse on Trump firing: “Chris Krebs did a really good job — as state election officials all across the nation will tell you — and he obviously should not be fired.“
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) November 18, 2020
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
Sen. Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, released a statement saying Krebs did “a remarkable job” and praised his work to “strengthen our election infrastructure.”
Former Senate Intel Chair Richard Burr issues a statement in support of Krebs pic.twitter.com/4bfhm3ucfO
— Jeremy Herb (@jeremyherb) November 18, 2020
Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman, always reluctant to fall out of step with Trump, praised Krebs.
GOP Sen. Rob Portman, a member of Senate Homeland Security, defends the work of Chris Krebs after Trump fired the DHS official for asserting that the elections were secure and fair
“I know Chris, I’ve worked well with him. I think he’s a real professional,” Portman told me.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 18, 2020
The quick response from GOP officials to praise Krebs will likely be viewed by Trump as an indirect attack on him.
Krebs spoke out shortly after being fired
Chris Krebs himself spoke out on Tuesday night after Donald Trump fired him, saying in a tweet, “We did it right.”
Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure Tomrorow. #Protect2020
— Chris Krebs (@C_C_Krebs) November 18, 2020
Krebs’ firing comes after the CISA – an agency under the DHS that Krebs led – released a statement last week that essentially debunked Trump’s election fraud lies, saying the agency found “no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.”
“The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history,” the CISA declared.
That finding didn’t align with Trump‘s effort to cast doubt over the election results, so Krebs was fired.
Firing people might make Donald Trump feel better and maybe even more powerful coming off a humiliating election defeat, but it’s not going to change the outcome of the race.
Joe Biden will be the next president of the United States, no matter how hard Trump and his GOP loyalists try to overturn the results – and no matter how many people the outgoing president fires.
Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook and Twitter
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.