Pentagon Launches Leak Inquiry, Polygraphs on Table/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Pentagon has launched an investigation into national security leaks, warning that Defense Department staff could face polygraph tests. The inquiry, announced via an internal memo, follows recent unauthorized disclosures and growing concerns about classified information leaks under the Trump administration. Similar measures are being taken across other federal agencies.
Pentagon Leak Inquiry: Quick Looks
- Pentagon investigating “unauthorized disclosures” of classified information
- Internal memo says polygraph testing may be used in probe
- Findings will be referred for potential criminal prosecution
- Follows Trump denying claims Musk received China war briefings
- Homeland Security also increasing lie detector tests for staff
- DOJ probing leak tied to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua
- Polygraphs not admissible in court but used in security clearances
- Critics say polygraphs are unreliable and used to intimidate
Pentagon Launches Leak Inquiry, Polygraphs on Table
Deep Look
Pentagon Opens Leak Investigation, Warns Defense Staff May Face Polygraph Exams
The Pentagon has become the latest federal agency to launch an internal leak investigation, with defense officials warning that personnel may be subjected to polygraph tests as part of a crackdown on unauthorized disclosures of national security information.
A memo issued late Friday by the chief of staff to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cited “recent unauthorized disclosures,” though it offered no details about the nature of the leaked information. The memo came just hours after President Donald Trump pushed back on media claims that adviser Elon Musk had been briefed on potential U.S. war strategies involving China.
“If this effort results in information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure,” the memo stated, “such information will be referred to the appropriate criminal entity for criminal prosecution.”
The internal probe mirrors efforts underway in other parts of the federal government. At the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Kristi Noem recently announced plans to ramp up polygraph testing among employees, specifically to identify individuals leaking sensitive operational data to the press.
Justice Department Also Investigating Leaks
The Justice Department has also opened an inquiry into what it described as the “selective leak of inaccurate, but nevertheless classified, information” involving Tren de Aragua—a Venezuelan criminal gang now designated as a terror threat by the Trump administration. Federal authorities are actively pursuing the removal of suspected members across the U.S.
Leaks from within intelligence agencies are not uncommon and can serve multiple purposes—sometimes functioning as deliberate “trial balloons” to gauge public or political reaction to pending policy shifts.
The Role of Polygraphs in Leak Investigations
While polygraphs are not legally admissible in court or military justice proceedings—due to concerns about their reliability—they are still widely used for security clearance screenings and internal investigations across federal agencies.
George Maschke, a former Army interrogator and founder of AntiPolygraph.org, noted that polygraph tests have often been used more as a deterrent than as a reliable investigative tool.
“They’re used to intimidate, to discourage people from speaking to reporters—even when no wrongdoing has occurred,” Maschke said. He added that he personally failed a polygraph test during an application process with the FBI.
Despite their questionable accuracy and high rates of false positives, polygraph programs have remained part of government security protocols since the 1990s. A 1999 Department of Defense report stated the military was expanding polygraph use specifically to identify potential leakers among personnel with access to classified materials.
As federal agencies grapple with an uptick in leaks—some of which have had political consequences or jeopardized operations abroad—the Trump administration appears poised to take a harder line on internal breaches, even if doing so revives questions about overreach and the limits of lie detector reliability.
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