A few months into President Donald Trump’s second term, political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security asked the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to secretly acquire and hack a voting machine, ProPublica reports. Citing two former administration officials with knowledge of the request, the outlet reports that the appointees wanted CISA to examine the machine and send its findings to the White House.
CISA was also directed not to alert the voting-machine company if it found flaws, contrary to the agency’s standard practice, according to ProPublica. One former official feared the findings could be used to challenge election results. That was the official’s concern, not an established purpose of the request.
CISA employees repeatedly told the appointees the request was impossible, partly because agents capable of the work had recently been laid off, ProPublica reports. The appointees stopped pressing, and the request was not carried out. The report does not identify Trump as the person who made it.
States fill gaps in election-security support
ProPublica reports that more than 1,000 CISA employees have been laid off or pushed out during Trump’s second term, reducing the agency’s workforce by about a third. Several state election authorities told the outlet they received no CISA assistance or explanation during critical planning for the 2026 midterms. State leaders said they paid for measures including sensors that detect unusual activity on election networks. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes described the change bluntly: “what they’ve done is basically cut us off and left us on our own.”
CISA published an election-security plan on Sept. 24, saying it “remains resolute in strengthening the security of elections.” Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows called the promised support “too little, too late.” State officials also told ProPublica their own planning would ensure a secure election.
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis defended Trump’s record on election security to ProPublica, saying he had done more than any other president to ensure free and fair elections. DHS and CISA did not respond to the outlet’s interview requests or detailed questions.
