A growing effort across federal agencies is targeting unauthorized leaks, with the Pentagon now preparing to use polygraph testing as part of its investigation. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff circulated a memo instructing departments to work together to find out who leaked sensitive material involving top Pentagon officials.
The memo, sent Friday, did not reveal specifics about the leaked content but called for help from defense intelligence and law enforcement branches. Personnel with access to classified information could be subjected to lie detector tests, with criminal charges on the table if a leaker is identified.
Pentagon announces investigation into leaks, which could include polygraph tests https://t.co/N6K1j8aTmX
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 23, 2025
The renewed push came shortly after President Donald Trump rejected media reports claiming adviser Elon Musk would be privately briefed on how the U.S. would respond in a military clash with China. Musk, whose firms maintain contracts with the Pentagon, wrote on social media that individuals leaking what he called “maliciously false information” would be held accountable.
🚨NEW: Department of Defense to polygraph employees in new investigation into leaks to media at the Pentagon.
Find them, prosecute them.
Leaks should not be tolerated.
🇺🇸
— Walter Curt (@WCdispatch_) March 23, 2025
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has also moved to tighten internal security. Secretary Kristi Noem recently announced plans to increase the use of polygraphs within the department to catch employees disclosing operational details to journalists.
On the same day as the Pentagon memo, the Justice Department announced its own investigation into the release of classified information involving Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang whose members are being deported under the Trump administration’s orders.
Polygraph testing has long stirred debate. Though commonly used in national security roles, courts generally do not admit the results as evidence. The Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that the exams could not be submitted in military justice cases.
George Maschke, who founded a site opposing polygraph use after serving as an Army interrogator, has warned that the tests are unreliable. He claims they’ve been used as tools of intimidation since the 1990s and once failed one himself while applying to the FBI.
A Department of Defense report from 1999 acknowledged the expansion of polygraph testing when classified material handled by defense workers was leaked.
