Trump nominates Palantir security chief Michael LoSapio to lead CISA

President Donald Trump nominated Palantir’s chief information security officer, Michael LoSapio, to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on Monday, seeking to fill a leadership vacancy that has stretched through nearly two years of staffing cuts and other changes to the agency.

LoSapio would oversee the federal government’s main civilian cyberdefense unit, which helps protect agency networks and works with operators of water systems, power grids, telecommunications networks and other critical infrastructure to prevent and respond to attacks.

He has served as Palantir’s CISO since September 2024, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before that, he led the company’s infrastructure and network security group, starting in December 2017. 

CISA has been without a permanent Senate-confirmed director since then-Jen Easterly’s departure in January 2025. Nick Andersen has led the agency in an acting capacity since February after a series of incidents tied to its previous acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala.

LoSapio’s nomination faces a crowded Senate calendar, with lawmakers working to fund the government and approve defense legislation before the year ends. It’s possible his consideration would fall to the incoming Democratic majority if Republicans do not complete his confirmation during the remaining session. 

If the Senate does not confirm LoSapio before the current Congress ends, Trump would have to nominate him again for consideration by the incoming Democratic majority. That could bring additional scrutiny of his work at Palantir, whose government contracts and handling of sensitive information have drawn questions from Democrats. 

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., previously said he plans to renew inquiries into the company’s work with the administration when he begins chairing the Senate Finance Committee, and said lawmakers could compel answers if the company does not cooperate. 

Democratic lawmakers have questioned whether Palantir’s work with the Department of Homeland Security enables government surveillance of Americans. The company has denied conducting or enabling mass surveillance.

LoSapio did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He previously worked at Palantir as a systems engineer from 2013 to 2016, then spent more than a year at database company SingleStore before returning. Earlier roles included systems engineering at New York University and Seton Hall University.

Trump’s previous choice for CISA director, Sean Plankey, withdrew from consideration in April after spending more than a year awaiting confirmation. His nomination became entangled in a dispute with Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., over Coast Guard contracting. 

If confirmed, LoSapio would inherit an agency attempting to recover from cuts that reduced its workforce by roughly a third since Trump returned to office. CISA has since moved to refill a few hundred positions.

In line with possible opposition to his employer, House Democrats have also pledged to investigate CISA’s workforce cuts and changes to its election security work.

Last month, the agency released a strategy calling for a review of its services and greater attention to infrastructure whose disruption would cause the most harm to public safety, the economy and national security.