WA Secretary of State warns Trump admin. may undermine election security
Feb 12, 2025, 4:23 PM
A elections ballot official counts votes in Washington. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Our Secretary of State said the Trump administration could be undermining election security here in Washington.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called a press conference at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia.
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He rang the alarm bells, saying President Donald Trump’s decision to put cybersecurity members on leave may mean federal support may get pulled.
“Is what overseas actors want,” Hobbs said. “This is what our adversaries want. They want Republicans and Democrats, they want Americans to tear each other apart, to take their eye off the ball while they do their national security goals.”
Attacks on Washington elections have included robocalls and deepfake videos — Hobbs said federal officials helped the state defend against it.
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Now, he wants the state legislature to fill in funding gaps as he expects the White House to walk away.
“The federal backs away from any of this stuff, we’re gonna have to backfill it, just we’re gonna have to do,” Hobbs said.
Sam Campbell is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Sam’s stories here. Follow Sam on X, or email him here.
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