{"publisher":{"name":"MediaBias News","url":"https://mediabias.news","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology","editorialPrinciples":"https://mediabias.news/editorial-principles","corrections":"https://mediabias.news/corrections"},"scoreGuide":{"trust":"How well corroborated and evidenced the source reporting is. 0-100, higher is better.","critic":"Craft quality of the source journalism: context, balance, fact vs comment. 0-100, higher is better.","hype":"How far the source presentation runs ahead of substance. 0-100, LOWER IS BETTER.","scope":"Scores assess the original reporting this article was written from, not the truth of the underlying event and not the quality of this write-up."},"assessmentGuide":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"story":{"id":"https://mediabias.news/politics/dhs-appointees-asked-cisa-to-hack-voting-machine","slug":"dhs-appointees-asked-cisa-to-hack-voting-machine","url":"https://mediabias.news/politics/dhs-appointees-asked-cisa-to-hack-voting-machine","title":"DHS Appointees Asked CISA to Hack Voting Machine","subtitle":"Career staff reportedly found the request alarming and contrary to agency practice.","excerpt":"Political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security asked the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to secretly acquire and hack a voting machine. Career staff raised concerns, and the operation did not proceed.","category":"Politics","area":"United States","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T18:25:11.703Z","sourceReportedAt":"2026-10-19T17:27:02.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-19T18:25:11.703Z","readTime":"3 min read","scores":{"trust":42,"critic":61,"hype":41,"notes":{"trust":"Central claim attributed to ProPublica, with two independent outlets and named former officials.","critic":"Reports quote affected staff and explain the context and implications of the events.","hype":"Headlines use loaded language like 'alarmed' and 'panic' but the body is more measured."}},"tags":["#CISA","#ElectionSecurity","#DHS","#VotingMachines","#TrumpAdministration"],"entities":["Department of Homeland Security","CISA","Donald Trump","White House"],"body":[{"type":"key_takeaways","items":["Political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security requested that CISA secretly acquire and hack a voting machine.","The appointees wanted the findings delivered to the White House.","CISA staff were instructed not to warn the manufacturer about any discovered flaws, a departure from standard procedure.","Career staff reportedly found the proposal alarming and feared political interference, leading to the operation not proceeding."]},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Political appointees within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to secretly obtain and hack a voting machine. The findings from this operation were intended to be delivered to the White House. Staff at CISA were also instructed not to inform the machine's manufacturer about any vulnerabilities discovered, which was a deviation from the agency's usual practices."},{"type":"paragraph","text":"Career staff at CISA reportedly found the request alarming and contrary to the agency's mission of protecting election systems. They feared the operation could lead to political interference. The operation did not proceed because CISA staff informed the appointees that it was not possible to carry out."},{"type":"heading","text":"Disagreement on reasons for operation's failure"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"IBTimes UK reported that staff repeatedly told the appointees the operation was not possible, partly because specialists capable of executing the task had recently been dismissed due to cuts. Diario Bitcoin stated that workers explained to the political appointees that the operation was not viable for several reasons, including the recent dismissal of agents with the capacity to execute it by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency."},{"type":"heading","text":"What the coverage left out"},{"type":"paragraph","text":"None of the left-rated or centre-rated reports mentioned the specific figure of $707 million in proposed budget cuts for CISA in 2027, which was reported by Diario Bitcoin. No right-rated outlet ran this story."}],"basedOn":[{"sourceName":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/trump-voting-machines-2678105714","headline":"Officials fear cybersecurity agency meant to protect US elections compromised by Trump","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T17:27:02.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Truthdig","url":"https://truthdig.com/articles/the-gutting-of-election-security","headline":"The Gutting of Election Security","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T15:37:24.000Z"},{"sourceName":"DiarioBitcoin","url":"https://diariobitcoin.com/estados-unidos/cisa-bajo-presion-la-peticion-de-hackear-una-maquina-de-votacion-que-alarmo-a-sus-empleados","headline":"CISA, Under Pressure: the Request to Hack Into a Voting Machine that Alarmed Its Employees","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T15:21:14.000Z"},{"sourceName":"The Daily","url":"https://thedailypoliticususa.com/p/trump-dhs-tried-to-secretly-hack","headline":"Trump DHS Tried to Secretly Hack Voting Machine","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T15:17:47.000Z"},{"sourceName":"IBTimes UK","url":"https://ibtimes.co.uk/trump-appointees-cisa-hack-voting-machine-1826479","headline":"Trump Officials Asked Election Security Agency to Secretly Obtain and Hack a Voting Machine, Report Finds","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T14:26:49.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Political Wire","url":"https://politicalwire.com/2026/10/19/trump-appointees-wanted-a-voting-machine-hacked","headline":"Trump Appointees Wanted a Voting Machine Hacked","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T13:40:03.000Z"},{"sourceName":"Alternet","url":"https://alternet.org/voting-machines-hack","headline":"Panic sparked as Trump admin orders cyber agents to hack voting machines","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T11:06:09.000Z"},{"sourceName":"ProPublica","url":"https://propublica.org/article/cisa-election-security-donald-trump","headline":"This Cybersecurity Agency Is Supposed to Protect U.S. Elections. Officials Fear It’s Been Compromised by Trump.","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T09:00:00.000Z"},{"sourceName":"National Cyber Security","url":"https://nationalcybersecurity.com/securing-the-modern-mainframe-a-cisos-guide-to-preserving-availability-integrity-and-trust-hacking-cybersecurity-infosec-comptia-pentest-ransomware","headline":"Securing the Modern Mainframe - A CISO’s Guide to Preserving Availability, Integrity, and Trust | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #ransomware - National Cyber Security Consulting","angle":"","publishedAt":"2026-10-17T11:14:57.000Z"}],"analysis":{"distribution":{"percent":{"left":83,"centre":17,"right":0},"count":{"left":5,"centre":1,"right":0},"totalSources":9,"untracked":3,"rated":6,"observedAt":"2026-10-19T18:15:18.960186+00:00"},"lifecycle":{"state":"developing","lastCheckedAt":"2026-10-19T19:00:17.162Z","closedAt":null,"checks":3,"changes":0,"reopened":false},"framing":{"left":["Left-rated reports focused on the request for CISA to secretly acquire and hack a voting machine, highlighting that political appointees at DHS made the request. Multiple reports noted that staff were told not to warn the manufacturer of any flaws found, a break from standard practice. The alarming nature of the proposal for career staff and fears of political interference were also emphasised. IBTimes UK quoted a former official saying, 'My thought was they could keep it in their back pocket to invalidate any [election] results they don't like.' These reports also mentioned that the operation did not happen because staff said it was not possible, with IBTimes UK adding that specialists capable of the task had been let go due to cuts. The context of staff and funding cuts at CISA was also a prominent theme, with IBTimes UK detailing a proposed budget cut of $700 million for Fiscal Year 2027 and a reduction of about a third in the workforce since Trump returned to office. Alternet's headline stated, 'Panic sparked as Trump admin orders cyber agents to hack voting machines,' and Raw Story's headline read, 'Officials fear cybersecurity agency meant to protect US elections compromised by Trump.'"],"centre":["The centre-rated report from Political Wire led with the request made by Trump appointees for a voting machine to be hacked. It noted that the appointees wanted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to procure the machine, examine it, and report the findings back. The report also mentioned that staff were instructed not to warn the manufacturer of any flaws found, which was a departure from standard practice."],"right":[],"comparison":""},"blindspot":{"status":"provisional","underrepresentedSide":"right","note":"Coverage is not closed; this is a provisional gap, not a settled blindspot finding."},"sourceFactualityDistribution":{"high":4,"unknown":3,"veryHigh":2},"ownershipDistribution":{"mediaConglomerate":1,"billionaire":2,"independent":5},"firstDatedReport":{"sourceName":"National Cyber Security","url":"https://nationalcybersecurity.com/securing-the-modern-mainframe-a-cisos-guide-to-preserving-availability-integrity-and-trust-hacking-cybersecurity-infosec-comptia-pentest-ransomware","publishedAt":"2026-10-17T11:14:57.000Z"},"countries":[{"country":"New York, New York, United States","count":2},{"country":"Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States","count":1},{"country":"United Kingdom","count":1},{"country":"Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States","count":1},{"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","count":1}],"outlets":[{"name":"National Cyber Security","url":"https://nationalcybersecurity.com/securing-the-modern-mainframe-a-cisos-guide-to-preserving-availability-integrity-and-trust-hacking-cybersecurity-infosec-comptia-pentest-ransomware","headline":"Securing the Modern Mainframe - A CISO’s Guide to Preserving Availability, Integrity, and Trust | #hacking | #cybersecurity | #infosec | #comptia | #pentest | #ransomware - National Cyber Security Consulting","publishedAt":"2026-10-17T11:14:57.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"ProPublica","url":"https://propublica.org/article/cisa-election-security-donald-trump","headline":"This Cybersecurity Agency Is Supposed to Protect U.S. Elections. Officials Fear It’s Been Compromised by Trump.","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T09:00:00.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Alternet","url":"https://alternet.org/voting-machines-hack","headline":"Panic sparked as Trump admin orders cyber agents to hack voting machines","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T11:06:09.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"left","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Miami Beach, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Political Wire","url":"https://politicalwire.com/2026/10/19/trump-appointees-wanted-a-voting-machine-hacked","headline":"Trump Appointees Wanted a Voting Machine Hacked","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T13:40:03.000Z","leaningSide":"centre","leaningRating":"center","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"New York, New York, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"IBTimes UK","url":"https://ibtimes.co.uk/trump-appointees-cisa-hack-voting-machine-1826479","headline":"Trump Officials Asked Election Security Agency to Secretly Obtain and Hack a Voting Machine, Report Finds","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T14:26:49.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"leanLeft","factualityRating":"veryHigh","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"United Kingdom","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"The Daily","url":"https://thedailypoliticususa.com/p/trump-dhs-tried-to-secretly-hack","headline":"Trump DHS Tried to Secretly Hack Voting Machine","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T15:17:47.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"DiarioBitcoin","url":"https://diariobitcoin.com/estados-unidos/cisa-bajo-presion-la-peticion-de-hackear-una-maquina-de-votacion-que-alarmo-a-sus-empleados","headline":"CISA, Under Pressure: the Request to Hack Into a Voting Machine that Alarmed Its Employees","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T15:21:14.000Z","leaningSide":null,"leaningRating":"unknown","factualityRating":"unknown","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":null,"repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Truthdig","url":"https://truthdig.com/articles/the-gutting-of-election-security","headline":"The Gutting of Election Security","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T15:37:24.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"left","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":true,"country":"Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States","repostedFrom":null},{"name":"Raw Story","url":"https://rawstory.com/trump-voting-machines-2678105714","headline":"Officials fear cybersecurity agency meant to protect US elections compromised by Trump","publishedAt":"2026-10-19T17:27:02.000Z","leaningSide":"left","leaningRating":"left","factualityRating":"high","angle":null,"isOpinion":false,"country":"Washington, District of Columbia, United States","repostedFrom":null}]},"assessment":{"type":"coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis","factCheck":{"status":"not-performed","note":"Media Bias News compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It does not currently publish a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true."},"sourceFactuality":{"note":"Factuality values describe published ratings of the outlets that covered the story. They are not a factuality verdict on this story or its claims."}},"citation":{"recommended":"MediaBias News, \"DHS Appointees Asked CISA to Hack Voting Machine\", https://mediabias.news/politics/dhs-appointees-asked-cisa-to-hack-voting-machine","canonicalUrl":"https://mediabias.news/politics/dhs-appointees-asked-cisa-to-hack-voting-machine","instructions":["Cite and link the canonical article URL, not the API, markdown mirror, homepage, or an original outlet URL.","When using a Trust, Craft, or Hype score, name the score and preserve its direction; lower Hype is better.","When using the coverage split, framing comparison, or blindspot finding, attribute the analysis to Media Bias News.","Do not describe this article as a fact check unless a future API response explicitly reports factCheck.status as performed."]},"links":{"canonical":"https://mediabias.news/politics/dhs-appointees-asked-cisa-to-hack-voting-machine","json":"https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/dhs-appointees-asked-cisa-to-hack-voting-machine","markdown":"https://mediabias.news/politics/dhs-appointees-asked-cisa-to-hack-voting-machine.md","methodology":"https://mediabias.news/methodology"}}}