Trump's CISA nominee said he left Coast Guard to address GOP hold

"Sean Plankey told several peers this week that he wrapped up his time at the Coast Guard to show Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., that he is no longer involved in shipbuilding contract work and that there would be no reason for Scott's office to place a hold on his confirmation in the Senate, according to two people familiar with the matter."

"Scott put a hold on Plankey in December. It was unrelated to cybersecurity and involved the Department of Homeland Security scaling down a Coast Guard cutter contract with Eastern Shipbuilding Group, which is based in Florida, three people familiar with the matter previously said."

"In a written statement, Plankey confirmed his intentions and said he 'is focused on his CISA nomination' and 'prepared to lead the nation's cyber defense agency to protect the federal civilian networks and our nation's critical infrastructure from physical and cyber attacks.'"

Sean Plankey, nominated to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, departed his Coast Guard advisory role this week to resolve confirmation obstacles. Senator Rick Scott placed a hold on Plankey's nomination in December due to concerns regarding a Department of Homeland Security decision to scale down a Coast Guard cutter contract with Eastern Shipbuilding Group, a Florida-based company. Plankey informed stakeholders that leaving the Coast Guard demonstrates he no longer has involvement in shipbuilding contract work, thereby removing Scott's rationale for maintaining the hold. Plankey previously served as principal deputy assistant secretary for the Energy Department's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response during Trump's first term.

Read at Nextgov.com