Cybersecurity executive tapped to lead agency that protects voting systems

President Donald Trump has nominated a cybersecurity executive to lead the agency that works to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure, one that has faced Republican criticism in recent years over its involvement in elections. Sean Plankey, who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2023, was nominated Tuesday to lead the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA. He worked in the first Trump administration as a director for cyber policy at the National Security Council and then as a principal deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy. The agency has received praise from many state and local election officials, but some Republicans remain angry over its efforts to counter misinformation about the 2020 presidential election.