Trump and BIden
Trump and BIdenReuters

Chris Krebs, former top cybersecurity official with the Trump administration who was ousted after the November election, said on Sunday that it's "well past the time" for Republican leaders to accept the outcome of the presidential race and recognize Joe Biden as the president-elect.

Speaking on CBS’ “Face the Nation”, Krebs said, "The result of the 2020 election is clear. The key states certainly have certified over the last several days and will continue to certify in the run up to the seating of the Electoral College on December 14. But this race is over. We've got to get ready for January 20 and the next administration."

Krebs, who led the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), commended Republican officials who have spoken out against Trump's claims that he is the real winner of the presidential race, saying "it's the right thing to do."

"I think the rest of them have to acknowledge that the system in place to conduct the election was legitimate, and particularly in the House, they've accepted their outcomes and their races," he added. "I don't see any difference here between the presidential race. It is well past the time where all leaders of the Republican Party need to accept the outcome of this race, and move on and accept that Joe Biden is the president-elect."

Krebs said Trump's attacks on the integrity of the election, including at a rally in Georgia on Saturday, are "corrosive to confidence" in democracy.

He called on GOP leaders and top national security officials to "stand up to accept the results and move forward."

Krebs, as director of CISA, released a statement following the presidential election in which he said the election "the most secure in American history" and said "there is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised."

Following the statement, Trump announced Krebs’ dismissal on Twitter.

"The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud - including dead people voting, Poll Watchers not allowed into polling locations, 'glitches' in the voting machines which changed votes from Trump to Biden, late voting, and many more. Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency," Trump wrote at the time.