The Trump administration’s aggressive campaign to root out government leakers has intensified as national security agencies have now deployed lie detector tests as a tool in the internal crackdown.
But the new strategy is also drawing criticism from civil liberties advocates, as well as current and former officials, who worry it is not only “creating a climate of fear and intimidation” – but also endangering national security itself.
That’s according to the Washington Post, which reported Monday that the use of polygraph examinations has now expanded to the FBI, where agents suspected of leaking to the media are being subjected to the tests, officials confirmed Monday. The move ordered by FBI Director Kash Patel marks an escalation in the bureau’s leak investigations and has not been previously reported, the Post added.
“The seriousness of the specific leaks in question precipitated the polygraphs, as they involved potential damage to security protocols at the bureau,” the spokesperson told the publication, while declining to offer further details.
“The sense of dread is palpable,” according to the Post report.
“People are trying to keep their heads down,” one former FBI field office head told the Post while requesting anonymity. “Morale’s in the toilet,” he added.
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One current official with a top-secret clearance described the environment as “toxic.”
“First you’ve got the insecurity of not knowing whether you’re going to get fired or not,” he said. “Then there’s the witch hunt to find the whistleblowers who are exposing the ineptitude and bad management of agencies. They’re trying to silence those who do not follow the party line.”
The new report comes as Attorney General Pam Bondi issued sweeping new guidelines allowing the Justice Department to subpoena journalists’ communications and pursue criminal charges for leaks of not only classified material, but also “privileged and sensitive” information.
Embattled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has threatened to use the tests at the Pentagon over alleged leaks to the news media, the Post reported. The publication concluded Monday that “the combination of summary dismissals, polygraph threats and leak prosecutions has rattled the workforce.”
“People are terrified,” one former senior intelligence community lawyer told the Post.
