Senior DHS official who launched cyber safety review board departs

Rob Silvers, the Department of Homeland Security’s undersecretary for policy, left the agency on Wednesday, sources told Recorded Future News. 

The move’s timing is not uncommon, as numerous Biden administration officials are deciding whether to leave now or stay in their posts until the President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20.

In Silvers’ case, he sent an all-hands email the Tuesday before the Thanksgiving holiday to let personnel know December 18 would be his last day, according to a source familiar with the matter. A DHS spokesperson confirmed Silvers’ departure.

In his role, Silvers focused heavily, but not exclusively, on cybersecurity issues such as ransomware. He also chaired the high-profile Cyber Safety Review Board, a public-private panel loosely modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board, that was established by President Joe Biden to probe major digital incidents.

Earlier this month it began a long-awaited investigation into the hacks of at least eight U.S. telecom systems by a Chinese hacking group known as Salt Typhoon. Heather Adkins, Google’s vice president of security engineering, who serves as the board’s deputy chair, will assume some of Silvers’ responsibilities until another federal official is appointed in the role.

In what multiple sources describe as coincidental timing, conservative provocateur James O’Keefe posted a video on X and Instagram Wednesday evening featuring Silvers. The organization appears to have caught Silvers on tape saying that Biden has suffered from a mental decline and that "he's not the guy he was when he took office four years ago.”

O'Keefe Media Group, which published the videos, did not specify when or where the video was recorded, but the setting appears to be a bar or restaurant. Silvers talks about the presidential election, so it is clear the video was shot sometime after November 5. 

The organization posted an edited version that highlights comments Silvers apparently made about Biden, including that he has “degraded faculties” and that Trump’s victory was “traumatic” to some.

Sources familiar with Silvers’ resignation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss the matter, said his departure and the timing of the video weren’t connected.

“It wasn't related in any way, completely separate,” one said.

Prior to joining DHS, Silvers was a partner at law firm Paul Hastings, working on cybersecurity and national security issues.

Correction: A previous version of this story said a video of Silvers was published by Project Veritas. It was published by O'Keefe Media Group.