Donald Trump has failed so far to demonstrate an understanding of cybersecurity, said the former head of the CIA and National Security Agency, voicing his concerns as the president-elect prepares to enter the White House.
Discussing Mr. Trump’s cyber posture during an event Wednesday in New York City hosted by The Wall Street Journal, retired Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden admitted being dismayed over the president-elect’s sparse comments on the subject.
“If he governs in any way consistent with the language he used as a candidate, I would be very, very concerned,” the four-star general said.
Speaking to the Journal’s John Bussey, Mr. Hayden addressed specific remarks made by Mr. Trump on the campaign trail that have given him cause for concern.
“Number one, an absolute refusal to admit to a high confidence judgment of the American intelligence community that the Russians had an aggressive, covert influence campaign on the American political process,” Mr. Hayden said.
“Second, when he was asked in the second or third debate about his views on cyber, I think it’s fair to say he displayed — he did not have a deep knowledge of the subject,” Mr. Hayden added, recalling that Mr. Trump instead responded from the debate stage by discussing his 10-year-old son’s interest in computers.
Additionally, Mr. Hayden took aim at the president-elect over his plan to direct the Department of Defense to develop a plan to protect critical infrastructure, as well as for having called for a boycott of Apple products earlier this year during the height of the iPhone marker’s encryption spat with the FBI.
“I guess what I’m saying is we have these points of light, and in each case I think the candidate and the president elect is factually incorrect so far,” Mr. Hayden said.
In October, Mr. Hayden said that Russian hackers had accomplished “honorable state espionage” by compromising the Democratic National Committee and stealing thousands of internal emails later published by WikiLeaks. Despite receiving intelligence briefings surrounding the Russian campaign, however, Mr. Trump has refused to implicate Moscow in the breach as recently as this week.
“I don’t believe it. I don’t believe they interfered,” Mr. Trump told Time magazine this week.
Mr. Hayden, 71, ran the the NSA under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush for five years prior to taking the helm of the CIA in 2006, where he served as director until February 2009.
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