” LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The top U.S. cybersecurity official fired by President Trump for saying the Nov. 3 election was the most secure in American history said voter fraud allegations made by Trump and his allies are “farcical.” Chris Krebs, the former director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, told CBS’ 60 Minutes on Friday that allegations of U.S. voting machines being manipulated by foreign countries were baseless. Kevin Hagen via Getty Images NEW YORK, NY – JULY 31: Amerikaanse. Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary Chris Krebs speaks during the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity Summit on July 31, 2018 in New York City. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said, \”Cyberattacks now exceed the danger of physical attacks…This has forced us to rethink homeland security.\” (Photo by Kevin Hagen/Getty Images) Sidney Powell, a Trump attorney cut loose by the Trump legal team this week, had put forward a conspiracy theory that election systems created in Venezuela at the behest of the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez helped tip the U.S. election to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden. Powell and others have also alleged that voting machines had flipped votes from Trump to Biden and some U.S. voting information was stored on servers in Germany. “All votes in the United States of America are counted in the United States of America. Period,” said Krebs in an excerpt broadcast that aired Friday on the CBS Evening News. Krebs’ full 60 Minutes interview will air on Sunday. He was fired by Trump on Nov. 17 after calling the election the “most secure in American history.” “There’s no evidence that any machine that I’m aware of has been manipulated by a foreign power,” said Krebs, calling such allegations “farcical claims.” He added: “The American people should have 100% confidence in their vote.” There’s no evidence that voting machines were manipulated by foreign actors says Chris Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, in his first interview since President Trump fired him. Sunday, on 60 Minutes. https://t.co/hGN4sWWZfE pic.twitter.com/1YTjmbcPOb— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 27, 2020 Biden won the election with 306 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 232. He leads Trump by over six million in the popular vote. Trump and his lawyers continue to allege, without evidence, that the election was stolen through widespread fraud and Trump is the winner. Trump told reporters on that Thursday he will leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for Biden. ___ Reporting by Tim Reid; Editing by Daniel Wallis
