ProPublica is the Pulitzer Prize for Investigators. Register on Bulletin of great history To get stories like this in your inbox.
Heather Honeyclamorous denial Donald Trump Lost in the 2020 election, she was appointed to a senior position at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where she will help oversee the country’s election infrastructure.
Honey is a protégé Cleta Mitchelllawyer who tried Help Trump bring down the 2020 election results.. In 2024, ProPublica reported That Honey played a key role in Mitchell’s efforts to change Georgia’s election rules to allow Republican officials to challenge Trump’s potential loss in this year’s presidential race. Honey too Promoted election conspiracy theoriesincluding one Trump quoted in a speech to his followers before they attacked Kapitool on January 6, 2021.
Although states perform election operations, DHS supports them with tasks beyond their capabilities, such as protection of IT infrastructure and voter databases from foreign intrusions. The agency, with bipartisan support, assumed this role in the aftermath Russian interference IN Elections in 2016.
Voting experts and state election officials warned that Honey’s appointment as DHS deputy assistant secretary for election integrity could break trust between state and federal officials, prompting states not to share information with the agency.
“We are witnessing a dangerous trend: the elevation of famous bad actors like Heather Honey,” he said Adrian FontesArizona’s Democratic secretary of state, in a statement, cited a “well-documented history of spreading election lies that have been disproved in court.”
Fontes called her involvement with DHS “deeply disturbing” and said: “When the agency gives a platform to people who have actively worked to erode public trust, it makes it harder to view DHS as a credible partner in election security.”
A DHS spokesperson did not respond to questions from ProPublica about Honey’s meeting or the exact nature of her duties. Honey did not respond to calls or e-mails. The White House also did not respond to a request for comment. Her name is listed in the organization’s online leadership structure, and her meeting was First reported by Democracy Docket website.
During the first Trump administration, the federal government created programs to protect U.S. elections from foreign interference, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, an arm of DHS. But Trump has weakened this and other initiatives by the acting CISA director publicly debunked His claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second presidency, the administration has targeted these programs by cutting them Hundreds of employees at CISA. Its director, Chris KrebsIs Now under federal investigationDHS said; Krebs told CNN that the investigation appeared to be an act of political revenge. . The Justice Department also rolled back the program aimed at combating foreign influence campaigns. Attorney General Pam Bondi he wrote in the memorandum The Justice Department program was disbanded to provide “free resources to address more pressing priorities and end the risk of further weaponization and abuse of prosecutorial discretion.”
David Beckerexecutive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a nonprofit focused on building confidence in U.S. elections, said the cuts dismantled “almost all” of DHS’s ability to protect election infrastructure. He said state election officials were concerned that Honey’s nomination, coupled with program cuts, signaled the Trump administration’s intention to eliminate the beacon of fair U.S. elections.
“Hiring an election conspiracy theorist with no electoral knowledge or expertise is the culmination of this reversal,” Becker said. “DHS now appears poised to become a major amplifier of false election conspiracies pushed by our enemies.”
Two sources familiar with Honey’s employment at DHS said she started working for the agency last week. Some Organizational chart from August 18 to Department website identifies her as leader in the agency’s Office of Strategy, Policy and Plans. Her position was not on the version website Archived in July and officials in past administrations said there was no work like this before.
It’s not yet clear what he will oversee, but former DHS officials have said deputy assistant secretaries are typically the agency’s top experts in their areas. They are often involved in drafting executive orders and creating policies. They also serve as liaisons for the White House and the National Security Council.
Since starting honey, Trump announced “A move to get rid of.” Later said the best advisor The administration would pursue these goals through legislative action. DHS also threatened to cut approximately $28 million in grants to help states prepare for terrorism and disasters if they do not change voting rules to align with the administration’s priorities. NPR reported.
Former officials said Honey’s duties would likely include helping organize government policy responses if foreign actors intrude on the nation’s electoral systems. To do this and assess the security of election infrastructure, someone in its position would typically have access to classified information, including government election-related intelligence.
Experts have expressed concern about Honey’s portfolio, given her history of spreading misinformation.
“Heather Honey’s prior misleading claims about Pennsylvania’s vote count helped fuel, among other things, false conspiracy theories about a stolen election,” he said Larry Nordenelection expert at NYU Law’s Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan law and policy group.
Before being swept up in the “Stop the Steal” movement, Honey had no experience in the federal government or as an elections administrator, working as Pennsylvania’s seat Private investigator.
After the 2020 election, it became Republican-backed audit contractor Seeking evidence of fraud in ballots cast in Maricopa County, Arizona. According to emails between employees working on the review, which ultimately confirmed Biden had wonHoney helped develop the final report.
Since then, Honey has run at least three Organizations dedicated to transforming electoral systems In ways that conservatives support, such as tightening eligibility requirements for people who may be on the ballot. Members of Fair Honey’s Pennsylvania elections, state chapter Mitchell’s confined election integrity network, has questioned the eligibility of thousands residents who will be at the voter storms.
Honey has also been involved in many other election transformation efforts across the country, including a successful push For many Republican-led states to withdraw from the bipartisan interstate partnership to share data to vote safely.
