A few weeks ago, I wrote that CISA looked like it was on life support. A few days later, we learned it was worse than we thought. Now another story breaks — and it raises an even more troubling question: Who exactly is in charge of defending the country’s digital infrastructure right now?

For those who haven’t been following along, the past couple of weeks have not been kind to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

In my earlier column, “CISA on Life Support,” I laid out how the agency had been hollowed out. Workforce losses, budget pressures, leadership instability and a growing sense that cyber defense — arguably one of the most critical national security functions in the modern world — was becoming collateral damage in Washington’s political battles.

Then came “Things Were Even Worse at CISA Than We Thought,” which detailed reporting suggesting the internal situation at the agency was even more chaotic than many of us realized. Leadership turmoil. Confusion over direction. Institutional damage that takes years to repair.

Now we have the latest development.

According to a report from CBS News, Sean Plankey — the nominee to lead CISA — was recently removed from his role as a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security. Sources say he was escorted out of Coast Guard headquarters and had his access badge revoked.

Let’s pause there for a moment.

Being escorted out of a federal facility and having your credentials pulled is not the kind of detail that usually accompanies a routine personnel move. The circumstances surrounding the removal remain unclear, and reporting so far has been light on specifics. But in government circles, those kinds of actions are rarely trivial.

And yet, as of this writing, Plankey remains the nominee to lead the nation’s primary cyber defense agency.

Which raises a pretty obvious question.

Is this really the person we want leading CISA right now?

To be fair, Senate confirmations can survive controversy. Washington has a long history of messy personnel stories that eventually fade into the background. It’s entirely possible the situation will be explained, contextualized or simply forgotten.

But even setting aside the specifics of what happened at the Coast Guard, the optics alone are hard to ignore.

At a time when CISA desperately needs stability, credibility and experienced leadership, the agency’s potential next director is suddenly the subject of a story involving revoked access and an escorted exit.

That’s not exactly the confidence-building moment the cyber community was hoping for.

And the bigger issue here isn’t just about one nominee.

It’s about the condition of the institution itself.

Cybersecurity isn’t something you can improvise. Effective cyber defense depends on institutional muscle memory — experienced people who understand how systems work, how threats evolve and how government and industry coordinate during crises.

That kind of capability takes years to build and about five minutes to destabilize.

Over the past several months, we’ve watched a slow erosion of exactly that kind of institutional strength at CISA. Workforce reductions. Budget fights. Leadership turnover. Political crossfire.

None of those things help the mission.

And the mission is not small.

CISA sits at the center of America’s civilian cyber defense. It works with utilities, hospitals, financial institutions, transportation networks and technology companies to protect the systems that keep the country running.

When ransomware shuts down a pipeline, when a hospital network is compromised or when a foreign adversary probes the power grid, CISA is supposed to be part of the response.

This is not theoretical work.

It is operational national security.

Which brings us to the timing of all this.

The United States is currently navigating one of the more volatile geopolitical environments we’ve seen in years. The conflict involving Iran has escalated tensions across multiple fronts, and history tells us that when conventional options narrow, cyber operations often become the tool of choice for desperate regimes.

Iran, in particular, has spent years developing asymmetric cyber capabilities.

They have targeted banks. They have probed infrastructure. They have launched disruptive attacks against private sector networks. And they have demonstrated repeatedly that cyber operations are a key part of their strategic playbook.

In moments like this, stability inside America’s cyber defense apparatus matters more than ever.

Instead, what we are seeing is something closer to a circus.

Leadership uncertainty. Political maneuvering. Budget fights. Now a nominee whose recent professional chapter reportedly ended with an escorted exit from a federal building.

If this were a television drama, the script would feel a little heavy-handed.

In real life, it’s simply concerning.

None of this is meant as a personal indictment of Sean Plankey. Until more facts emerge, speculation about the details of what happened would be irresponsible.

But leadership positions at agencies like CISA are not ordinary jobs. They require public confidence, Senate support and a deep reservoir of trust from the cybersecurity community.

Those things are not easy to build — and they are very easy to damage.

The uncomfortable truth is that the politicization of CISA, the ongoing budget battles and the broader chaotic style of governance we’ve grown accustomed to in Washington have all collided at precisely the wrong moment.

Cyber threats don’t pause while political systems sort themselves out.

Adversaries don’t wait for confirmation hearings.

And critical infrastructure operators don’t get to delay their defense until the organizational chart stabilizes.

The people who work inside CISA understand this better than anyone. Many of them are dedicated professionals who show up every day to do difficult work under increasingly difficult circumstances.

For the country’s sake, let’s hope they can continue to carry out that mission.

Because if the instability surrounding America’s cyber defense leadership continues much longer, we may discover — the hard way — that the circus at CISA comes with a very real price.