The Trump administration quietly scrapped a sweeping lie detector program inside the Pentagon this spring, just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched it to root out leaks and just as he was facing one himself.
According to The Washington Post, the Pentagon began administering polygraph tests to top military officers, staffers, and even Trump allies on a hunt for national security leaks. The plan stemmed from a memo by Hegseth’s then chief of staff, Joe Kasper, who wanted “every possible lead” pursued. Among those tested: Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chair of the Joint Chiefs, and Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims.
But the program was short-lived. After one senior adviser, Patrick Weaver, complained to the White House that he was unfairly targeted, the testing was shut down. Within days, the order came down: no more polygraphs. No final report. No answers.
Meanwhile, Hegseth himself is at the center of a growing leak scandal now known as “Signalgate.” The Pentagon’s inspector general is investigating whether he shared classified details about U.S. airstrikes in private Signal chats — including one with his wife, brother and personal lawyer and another (accidentally) with a news editor. The texts reportedly included information pulled directly from a “SECRET/NOFORN” email. Multiple senior aides have resigned as a result.
All of it underscores the Trump administration’s chaotic approach to secrecy: deploying polygraphs in one office, while classified war plans allegedly circulated in group texts like brunch updates. And it’s not just the Pentagon. Across the federal government, agencies have embraced polygraph testing to investigate internal leaks — some tied to embarrassing political fallout, not national security risks.
Experts warn the tactic chills dissent and weaponizes fear. Critics say the real issue isn’t who’s leaking — it’s who’s protecting the leakers at the top.
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