Trump nominates Palantir CISO Michael LoSapio to lead CISA
Original title: Trump taps Palantir security chief to run battered US cyber defense agency
If confirmed, he would end nearly two years without a Senate-confirmed director after Jen Easterly left in January 2025.
President Donald Trump nominated Palantir chief information security officer Michael LoSapio to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. LoSapio has been Palantir's CISO since September 2024 and first joined the company in 2013. CISA has been without a Senate-confirmed director since Jen Easterly left in January 2025; acting director Nick Andersen has run it since February. Reports say CISA has lost more than 1,000 staff, about a third of its workforce, since Trump returned. Sean Plankey, Trump's earlier nominee, withdrew in April. If the current Congress does not confirm LoSapio, he would need renomination for the incoming Democratic-controlled Senate.
Unconfirmed: Staff-loss figures are attributed to reports, and LoSapio's post-confirmation Palantir ties are unclear.
- Andersen said in September about 250 recruits were still awaiting security clearance.
- A strategy last month focuses on infrastructure whose failure would do the most damage.
- Palantir supplies technology to DHS and ICE, drawing civil-liberties criticism.
- UK messages obtained by Foxglove describe Palantir lobbying over GP patient records.
- It is unclear whether LoSapio would leave Palantir or divest financial interests.
From the original article
3 min read at theregister.comMichael LoSapio could inherit a depleted workforce and a political headache or two, courtesy of his current employer
By Carly Page · theregister.com
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