Pentagon probes ‘recent unauthorized disclosures,’ leakers within Defense Dept, could use polygraphs on staffers

The Defense Department has not disclosed details about what information was leaked but is taking the issue seriously, including the possibility of using polygraph tests on personnel, reports the Associated Press.

A memo sent late Friday from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff referenced “recent unauthorized disclosures” but did not specify the nature of the leaks. The Trump administration has previously pursued similar inquiries. Earlier that day, President Donald Trump dismissed reports that adviser Elon Musk would receive a classified briefing on how the US would handle a hypothetical war with China.

“If this effort results in information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure,” then such information “will be referred to the appropriate criminal entity for criminal prosecution,” the memo stated.

At the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Kristi Noem has vowed to increase polygraph testing on employees to identify those leaking operational details to the media.

The Justice Department also announced Friday that it is investigating what it calls “the selective leak of inaccurate, but nevertheless classified, information” related to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang whose members are being targeted for removal by the Republican administration.

Leaks are not uncommon in Washington and often come from officials themselves as a way to gauge public reaction to policy decisions. However, the use of polygraphs as a tool in leak investigations has been controversial.

While polygraph exams are frequently used for national security clearances and federal law enforcement, they are generally inadmissible in court. The Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that they are also not allowed as evidence in military justice proceedings.

George Maschke, a former Army interrogator and reserve intelligence officer who founded AntiPolygraph.org, argues that polygraph tests are unreliable and can result in false positives. Maschke himself failed a polygraph when applying to the FBI. He claims that since the 1990s, polygraphs have been used intermittently as an intimidation tactic to discourage sources from speaking to reporters. A 1999 Pentagon report stated that the program was being expanded to use polygraphs on defense personnel “if classified information they had access to has been leaked.”