SentinelOne caught in Trump’s crosshairs over ex-cyber chief Krebs
President orders clearance review following 2020 election fallout.
Cybersecurity firm SentinelOne has been drawn into an escalating political clash after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a directive on Wednesday ordering the review and potential revocation of security clearances for individuals at the company. The move follows Trump’s continued attacks on Christopher Krebs, his former cybersecurity chief, who now serves as SentinelOne’s Chief Intelligence and Public Policy Officer.
Krebs, a former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), was fired by Trump in November 2020 after publicly rejecting the then-president’s false claims of widespread election fraud. CISA, under Krebs’ leadership, had issued a statement calling the 2020 election “the most secure in American history.”
In the directive signed Wednesday, Trump called for a full review of Krebs’ actions while in government and stripped him of any remaining security clearances. “We’re going to find out about this guy too because this guy is a wise guy,” Trump said. “He’s a disgrace.”
Trump’s order goes further, however, by extending the review to include security clearances held by individuals at SentinelOne, which acquired the Krebs Stamos Group, a cybersecurity consultancy co-founded by Krebs and former Facebook security chief Alex Stamos, in November 2023.
In a statement, SentinelOne said it “remains focused on being a force for good in this industry and the world”, and emphasized that it would continue nurturing relationships with U.S. government and intelligence agencies. The company confirmed that fewer than 10 of its employees hold security clearances and that it will cooperate fully in any government-led reviews.
“We will cooperate in any review of clearances only where required by existing government processes and procedures to secure government systems,” the company said. “Accordingly, we do not expect this to materially impact our business in any way.”
Krebs did not respond to a request for comment. SentinelOne’s acquisition of his firm marked a notable expansion of its public sector focus, especially at a time when cybersecurity threats to government infrastructure have become a key national concern.
The Trump directive also targeted Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official and author of the anonymous 2019 book A Warning, which criticized Trump’s leadership. Taylor, now publicly identified, was also stripped of any remaining clearances and referred to the Justice Department for investigation. Trump labeled Taylor’s actions as “treason,” though Taylor dismissed the charge, calling it a dark turn for American democracy.
While the political motivations behind the orders are under scrutiny, their impact on the broader cybersecurity industry—and on companies like SentinelOne that rely on sensitive government work—remains to be seen.
Reuters contributed to this report.
