The White House recently stepped in to stop Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from conducting polygraph tests on employees suspected of leaking information to the media, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Hegseth, appointed by President Trump, reportedly began administering polygraph exams in April to personnel within the Joint Service Interagency Advisory Group—an elite task force that includes Special Operations members and representatives from agencies like the FBI. The group’s mission involves countering drug cartels and enhancing security along the southern border.
The polygraph program was approved by Hegseth and his private attorney Tim Parlatore, who also serves as a part-time military aide. Over several weeks, employees were subjected to the tests, raising alarm within the administration after Patrick Weaver, one of Hegseth’s senior advisers, voiced concerns about possibly being targeted. Weaver, a staunch immigration hardliner with close ties to Trump adviser Stephen Miller, reportedly contacted a White House official, prompting the intervention.
According to The Post, Hegseth also considered extending the polygraphs to senior military officials, including Army Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims. Although Sims was once slated for a promotion to four-star general, Hegseth blocked the advancement, accusing him of leaking classified information—an accusation made without public evidence.
The Pentagon has not confirmed the report. In a statement, spokesperson Sean Parnell said the Department of Defense “will not comment on an ongoing investigation.” He criticized media coverage of the episode as “months-old workplace gossip” and added that Secretary Hegseth remains thankful for Sims’s service.
The polygraph testing coincided with a turbulent period in the Pentagon, during which Hegseth fired three senior appointees he accused of leaking information—again, without providing proof. The internal leak investigation reportedly began in March after Hegseth’s former Chief of Staff, Joe Kasper, issued a memo demanding a full probe into unauthorized disclosures of national security material.
Compounding the controversy was a separate scandal dubbed “Signalgate.” Hegseth was accused of sharing highly sensitive government information using the encrypted messaging app Signal ahead of a planned U.S. bombing in Yemen. The issue escalated when a journalist, mistakenly included in a Signal group chat, revealed the defense secretary had referenced material from an email marked “SECRET.”
As scrutiny around Hegseth’s handling of internal security continues, the White House’s decision to shut down the polygraph program underscores concerns over aggressive surveillance tactics within the Trump administration’s national security ranks.
