Dismantling of federal efforts to monitor election interference creates opening for foreign meddling

President Donald Trump's administration has disbanded an FBI task force focused on investigating foreign influence campaigns and placed on leave several election security employees at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency. The moves in the first weeks of his administration raise questions about the future of the federal government's work to support states and local governments, which run America's elections. Election officials say the government's previous work has helped them prepare for cyber and physical security threats. Experts said abandoning those efforts is like taking a cop off the beat intended to safeguard elections.