Trump Administration Orders Leak Crackdown As Pentagon Eyes Polygraph Use
The Pentagon has launched an internal investigation into national security leaks, following a memo sent by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper. The effort comes amid rising concerns about internal disclosures and growing pressure from President Donald Trump’s administration to identify the source of sensitive information being shared with the media.
Kasper’s memo referenced recent breaches involving classified communication within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. While it did not detail the content of the leaks, the memo stressed that identifying the responsible party would result in a referral for possible prosecution. The Department of Defense is considering polygraph tests for staff as part of the investigation, according to the memo.
Pentagon announces investigation into leaks, which could include polygraph tests https://t.co/N6K1j8aTmX
— Fox News (@FoxNews) March 23, 2025
The message arrived on the same day President Trump rejected reports suggesting Elon Musk would be briefed on U.S. military plans involving China. Musk, whose companies maintain contracts with the Defense Department, responded on social media that anyone spreading “maliciously false information” would be “found” and prosecuted.
At the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary Kristi Noem has announced that her agency will increase the use of lie detector tests in an attempt to catch insiders leaking operational information. The Justice Department has also opened a separate investigation into what it described as the release of classified but false intelligence involving Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang being targeted for removal from the country.
🚨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
Though not uncommon in Washington, leaks have triggered growing frustration inside the Trump administration. Officials say they are determined to end what they see as dangerous and politically motivated breaches.
Polygraph testing, while often used to vet federal employees for security clearance, is controversial. The Supreme Court ruled in 1998 that the results could not be submitted in military justice cases. Federal courts generally do not allow them either.
George Maschke, a former Army interrogator who now runs AntiPolygraph.org, has long criticized the tests. He argues that they are unreliable and can generate false positives. Maschke once failed a polygraph while applying to the FBI and believes the method is often used to intimidate rather than detect wrongdoing.
A 1999 report from the Pentagon stated that the agency had planned to expand polygraph testing when leaks involved employees with access to sensitive information.