The above quote, taken from a memo obtained by Axios and sent by Vistakis summarizes the former director’s worries. The rest of the letter paints the picture of a Trump administration hellbent on purging the Obama-appointed security specialists tasked with defending White House computers in the wake of a 2014 breach. The Office of the Chief Information Security Officer (OCISO), according to Vistakis, has been targeted by White House leadership for removal. He reports that leaders employed tactics such as “habitually being hostile” to OCISO members, withholding annual bonuses, and limiting workers’ job scopes in order to force them to quit. Vistakis also says that, since his office was implemented, the White House has suffered no further incidents like the 2014 breach. However, it appears the Trump administration has justified the drawdown by moving the goalposts. He writes: Vistakis greatest complaint seems to be that White House officials are prioritizing the President’s comfort or convenience over actual computer security. This isn’t the only technology or science related office the President’s gutted. Since coming into office he’s turned the Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science and Technology Council into ghost towns. Click here to read the full memo, via Axios.
