Trump officials consider skipping premier cyber conference after Biden-era cyber leader named CEO

Top Trump administration cyber officials are in discussions to cancel their attendance at the RSAC Conference taking place in San Francisco in March after a top Biden-era cyber leader was named CEO of the event, according to multiple former officials and other people with knowledge of the matter.

Officials in the White House Office of the National Cyber Director, National Security Council and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency discussed potential plans to no longer attend after Jen Easterly, the former CISA director under President Joe Biden, was named CEO of the RSAC Conference on Thursday, said the former officials and the people.

All sources for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity because the conversations aren’t public. They stressed that plans might change, but noted the discussions likely originated from the White House, which would have the final say over conference attendance. 

Easterly became a target of Trump ally and far-right activist Laura Loomer last year when she flagged Easterly’s plans to return to West Point as the new Robert F. McDermott Distinguished Chair in its Department of Social Sciences.

Loomer said at the time that Easterly “brought in” Nina Jankowicz, a former DHS official who ran the now‑shuttered Disinformation Governance Board, casting her as part of a network of officials she accused of working against President Donald Trump. A 2023 deposition does not mention Easterly and indicates Jankowicz had no interactions with Easterly when she was hired in the Department of Homeland Security.  

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said soon after that Easterly’s offer was rescinded and that he would be pausing outside groups from selecting academy employees and instructors.

The RSAC Conference is one of the world’s largest cybersecurity forums, and has long been hailed as a convening hub for cybersecurity officials and private sector firms vying for business with the government. It also brings together many international cyber officials who frequently meet behind the scenes with American counterparts to discuss overseas cybersecurity matters.

The discussions on not attending RSAC began just hours after the conference officially announced Easterly as CEO, the people familiar said. The move underscores the Trump administration’s effort to tightly police how current officials engage with industry events tied to former senior leaders, especially those in the crosshairs of the current White House.

A conference spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Nextgov/FCW has also asked the White House and Easterly for comment. 

In an interview with WIRED about her appointment as CEO, Easterly said that cybersecurity “is not a political endeavor, RSAC is certainly not a political organization, and I am not a political person. I am a lifelong independent.”

Last year, top NSA and Cyber Command officials were pulled from RSAC engagements shortly after President Donald Trump fired the former director of the two organizations.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include additional information about  Nina Jankowicz's hiring at DHS.