The Pentagon’s intelligence and regulation enforcement arms are investigating what it says are leaks of nationwide safety data. Protection Division personnel might face polygraphs within the newest such inquiry by the Trump administration.
A memo late Friday from Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of workers referred to “latest unauthorized disclosures” of such data, however offered no particulars about alleged leaks. Earlier within the day, President Trump rejected stories that advisor Elon Musk could be briefed on how the U.S. would struggle a hypothetical battle with China.
“If this effort ends in data figuring out a celebration liable for an unauthorized disclosure,” then such data “shall be referred to the suitable legal entity for legal prosecution,” based on the memo.
On the Homeland Safety Division, Secretary Kristi Noem pledged this month to step up lie detector assessments on workers in an effort to determine those that could also be leaking details about operations to the media.
The Justice Division on Friday introduced an investigation into “the selective leak of inaccurate, however nonetheless categorised, data” from intelligence companies about Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang whose members within the U.S. are being focused for elimination by the Republican administration.
Leaks happen in each administration — and authorities officers could be the supply — as a trial balloon to check how a possible coverage resolution shall be acquired.
Whereas polygraph exams are usually not admissible in courtroom proceedings, they’re often utilized by federal regulation enforcement companies and for nationwide safety clearances. In 1998, the Supreme Court docket dominated they had been additionally inadmissible in army justice proceedings.
They’re inadmissible as a result of they’re unreliable and infrequently end in false positives, stated George Maschke, a former Military interrogator and reserve intelligence officer who went on to discovered AntiPolygraph.org. Maschke failed a polygraph himself when making use of to the FBI.
However they’ve been intermittently used because the Nineteen Nineties to intimidate and scare sources from speaking to reporters, Maschke stated. A 1999 Pentagon report stated it was increasing this system to make use of polygraphs on protection personnel “if categorised data they’d entry to has been leaked.”
Copp writes for the Related Press.
