Eric Geller

Eric Geller @ericgeller

A senior administration official said the Tornado Cash sanctions represented a key part of the White House's response to North Korea’s extensive use of cyberattacks on cryptocurrency exchanges to finance its missile program. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

The senior Treasury official said the department would watch for signs that Tornado Cash was rebranding in an effort to evade sanctions, but they added that there was no sign of another major mixer, https://t.co/4WbDRh2lpq, reconstituting after being sanctioned in May. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

A senior Treasury Department official told reporters this morning that the Tornado Cash designation would send a strong message to companies that still haven’t implemented anti-money-laundering technologies. TC implemented some protocols but Treasury still saw NK using it. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Breaking: @USTreasury sanctions leading cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash, which officials say has helped hackers launder >$7 billion since its creation in 2019. North Korea used it to launder proceeds from its record-breaking $620m Ronin heist. https://t.co/rsBnWGDPpL https://t.co/41jgY80hB4 — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Given the departures of high-profile cyber lawmakers at the end of this congressional session, Torres' interest in the issue makes him someone to watch. “We cannot afford to relegate cybersecurity to the margins,” he said. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

While Torres is a staunch progressive, he said he's excited about how apolitical cyber policy often is. Even if the GOP takes the House, he said, he’s “cautiously optimistic” that it'll remain "an area that naturally lends itself to bipartisan compromise and cooperation." — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Torres previously served as a New York City councilmember, passing legislation codifying NYC Cyber Command. In November 2020, he and Mondaire Jones became the first openly gay Black men elected to Congress. His non-cyber priorities include affordable housing and education. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Torres stressed that he has nothing against @ncdinglis and thinks he's a capable leader. But, he added, "It's unhelpful to have too many competing power centers in the federal government." Expect this to figure prominently into his oversight of WH cyber policy going forward. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

This view is notable because ONCD was partly the result of lawmakers' and policy experts' concerns about no one in the White House being accountable to Congress on cyber issues. Recall the Trump WH refusing to let NSC cyber coordinator Rob Joyce testify before SASC in 2017. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Another interesting part of our convo w/ Torres: He doesn't think Congress needed to create @ONCD. He thinks Anne Neuberger, the deputy natsec adviser for cyber, was already Biden's de-facto national cyber director. He's now worried about having “too many cooks in the kitchen." — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Regardless of who controls the House next year, Torres wants to play a leading role on cyber legislation and oversight. Congress will need him after the departures of @JimLangevin and @RepJohnKatko, who carried most of the past decade's key cyber bills through the House. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Torres acknowledges that many of his colleagues aren't onboard with his "much more aggressive approach." And as I've reported, if Republicans take the House this fall, he can probably say goodbye to those regulatory dreams for a while. https://t.co/QJtAGZEg20 — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

The Biden's admin has gone further than any predecessor in regulating infrastructure, but for Torres, it's still too piecemeal and timid. Expect him to play a big role in future debates over regulating sectors like water, which has emerged as a focus. https://t.co/a3Ir9EAeRY — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Progressive Democrats have long been exasperated at the government's deference to industry, but Torres represents a new group of lawmakers who extend that frustration to cybersecurity. “The hands-off approach has been a failure," he said of decades of voluntary partnerships. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Torres said he's still getting up to speed on the details of various cyber issues, but critical infrastructure regulation is clearly a top priority for him. He joined the House Homeland Security Committee because of SolarWinds, which emerged just weeks before he took office. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

“I'm a partisan Democrat who supports Joe Biden wholeheartedly," Torres told us. “Having said that … I have a job to do. It’s oversight." "If I feel that a Democratic administration is failing to live up to the highest standards of cybersecurity, I'm going to point it out." — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Democratic lawmakers don't typically rebuke Democratic administrations like this, especially on low-wattage issues like cybersecurity. But in an interview with @magmill95 and me in his office, Torres said he felt an obligation to call out what he saw as lethargy. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Torres asked Easterly why the government didn't require all vital companies to meet basic cyber standards. She responded that some efforts were underway, but Torres wasn't impressed. "I feel like we are reacting to events rather than governing," he said. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Since joining Congress, Torres has been distinguishing himself with sharp questions at cyber hearings. In November 2021, he had a somewhat contentious exchange with @CISAJen where he scolded the Biden administration for not going further with critical infrastructure regulation. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

.@magmill95 and I profiled freshman @RepRitchie, who plans to make cybersecurity a major focus in his next term, helping to fill a looming leadership void. “I want to focus on issues that are heavily neglected, and I see cyber as one of them.” https://t.co/BUkcIBAIHT — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

love it when everything is normal — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

all-time great tease here — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@kristenkbates Kristen — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

👀 — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Zero Republican votes for this. — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

. It's Really HAppening — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@TonyRomm Settle down — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@Grace_Segers I recently ordered two dishes for two people and only got one fork and one set of chopsticks which was awkward in a different way 😶 — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

Vote-a-rama? I barely know 'a! — PolitiTweet.org

Eric Geller @ericgeller

@sophiekleeman hi Bram — PolitiTweet.org