Pentagon announces investigation into leaks, which could include polygraph tests

The Pentagon said it would investigate what it claims are leaks of national security information, saying that the probes could include polygraph tests for employees in the Defense Department.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, sent a memo Friday saying that the Pentagon’s intelligence and law enforcement arms are probing “recent unauthorized disclosures” of national security information, without offering details about alleged leaks.

“Recent unauthorized disclosures of national security information involving sensitive communications with principals within the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) demand immediate and thorough investigation,” Kasper wrote.

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“If this effort results in information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure,” then the information “will be referred to the appropriate criminal entity for criminal prosecution,” he added.

Kasper’s memo said the polygraphs would be used “in accordance with applicable law and policy.”

President Donald Trump rejected a report from The New York Times that his senior adviser, Elon Musk, would be briefed on how the U.S. would handle a potential war with China. Musk responded by suggesting that people leaking “maliciously false information” to the media will be identified and prosecuted.

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“The New York Times is pure propaganda,” Musk said Friday on X. “Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found.”

Investigations into the alleged leaks at the Pentagon come after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed a move to step up lie-detector tests on employees in an attempt to identify people who may be leaking information to the media about immigration enforcement operations.

The Justice Department also announced an investigation on Friday into what it purported to be “the selective leak of inaccurate, but nevertheless classified, information” from intelligence agencies about a Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua, alleged members of which are being targeted by the Trump administration for removal from the U.S.

Leaks from within the federal government happen in every administration across various agencies.

While polygraph exams are typically not admissible in court proceedings because of concerns about their unreliability, they are often used by federal law enforcement agencies and for national security clearances.

The Supreme Court also ruled in 1998 that polygraph tests were inadmissible in military justice proceedings.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.