WASHINGTON, D.C. - It's now being reported by the Washington Post that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been using polygraph tests to identify information leaks to the media, following other departments such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
An FBI spokesperson said that FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the bureau to administer polygraph tests to identify the sources of those information leaks. Declining to elaborate, the spokesperson said, "The seriousness of the specific leaks in question precipitated the polygraphs, as they involved potential damage to security protocols at the bureau."
According to Just The News, polygraph testing is a requirement at large intelligence agencies to establish employment eligibility and for continued access to classified materials.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has also issued new guidelines, allowing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to subpoena reporters' personal communications and the potential criminal prosecution of leaks regarding classified material and "privileged and other sensitive" information that the administration says is "designed to sow chaos and distrust" in the government.
Back in March, NBC News reported that DHS had begun performing polygraph tests on its employees to determine who might be leaking information to the media about immigration operations. At the time, DHS said in a statement, "The Department of Homeland Security is a national security agency. We can, should, and will polygraph personnel."
Border Czar Tom Homan and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blamed the lower-than expected ICE arrest numbers on the leaks that allegedly revealed the cities where it planned to conduct its operations. According to CNN, FEMA, which is under DHS, has also given polygraph tests to dozens of its employees.
Included in that was FEMA's acting administrator Cameron Hamilton, an appointee of President Donald Trump. He was given his polygraph days after taking part in a meeting with top DHS officials for a policy discussion on the future of FEMA. At least one FEMA official has been placed on administrative leave and was escorted out of the agency's office after taking the polygraph.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, "We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment, or status as a career civil servant. We will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."
Tom Devine, legal director for the Government Accountability Project, a non-partisan nonprofit whistleblower support organization said that he is surprised by the number of polygraphs administered in the first three months of the Trump administration. He said, "Government agencies for decades, have used lie detectors to catch leakers or anyone else they perceived as wrongdoers. The difference here is the volume. What used to be a sensitive, carefully considered high-risk decision, is not a knee-jerk reaction, and that's what's scary."
An FBI spokesperson said that FBI Director Kash Patel ordered the bureau to administer polygraph tests to identify the sources of those information leaks. Declining to elaborate, the spokesperson said, "The seriousness of the specific leaks in question precipitated the polygraphs, as they involved potential damage to security protocols at the bureau."
According to Just The News, polygraph testing is a requirement at large intelligence agencies to establish employment eligibility and for continued access to classified materials.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has also issued new guidelines, allowing the Department of Justice (DOJ) to subpoena reporters' personal communications and the potential criminal prosecution of leaks regarding classified material and "privileged and other sensitive" information that the administration says is "designed to sow chaos and distrust" in the government.
Back in March, NBC News reported that DHS had begun performing polygraph tests on its employees to determine who might be leaking information to the media about immigration operations. At the time, DHS said in a statement, "The Department of Homeland Security is a national security agency. We can, should, and will polygraph personnel."
Border Czar Tom Homan and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blamed the lower-than expected ICE arrest numbers on the leaks that allegedly revealed the cities where it planned to conduct its operations. According to CNN, FEMA, which is under DHS, has also given polygraph tests to dozens of its employees.
Included in that was FEMA's acting administrator Cameron Hamilton, an appointee of President Donald Trump. He was given his polygraph days after taking part in a meeting with top DHS officials for a policy discussion on the future of FEMA. At least one FEMA official has been placed on administrative leave and was escorted out of the agency's office after taking the polygraph.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, "We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment, or status as a career civil servant. We will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."
Tom Devine, legal director for the Government Accountability Project, a non-partisan nonprofit whistleblower support organization said that he is surprised by the number of polygraphs administered in the first three months of the Trump administration. He said, "Government agencies for decades, have used lie detectors to catch leakers or anyone else they perceived as wrongdoers. The difference here is the volume. What used to be a sensitive, carefully considered high-risk decision, is not a knee-jerk reaction, and that's what's scary."
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