Trump fires US cybersecurity chief

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump tweeted on Tuesday that Chris Krebs has been terminated as director of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) over the official's recent statement on the security of the 2020 presidential election.

"The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate ... Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency," the president announced on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Trump claimed that "there were massive improprieties and fraud -- including dead people voting."

"Poll Watchers not allowed into polling locations, 'glitches' in the voting machines which changed ... votes from Trump to Biden, late voting, and many more," Trump wrote.

Krebs, a Trump appointee, has served as CISA chief since its establishment at the Department of Homeland Security in 2018.

CISA issued a statement last week that affirmed that the 2020 election was "the most secure in American history."

"When states have close elections, many will recount ballots. All of the states with close results in the 2020 presidential race have paper records of each vote, allowing the ability to go back and count each ballot if necessary," the statement read.

"There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised," said the statement, which is based on an assessment joined by a coalition of election security groups, including the National Association of State Election Directors.

Joe Biden declared victory for the US presidential election on Nov. 7 after he was projected to have passed the required 270-electoral-vote threshold.

Trump has not conceded and is mounting challenges in court over allegations of voter fraud and counting misconduct.

A federal law sets the "Safe Harbor" deadline falling on Dec. 8 this year, the day by which states must submit the winner of the presidential election if they are to be insulated from legal disputes.

Electoral College representatives will meet six days later, on Dec. 14, to formally select the next US president.