Pentagon Polygraphs 50 Joint Staff Over Iran Leaks
Pentagon Polygraphs 50 Joint Staff Over Iran Leaks
The News
The Pentagon subjected roughly 50 members of the U.S. military's Joint Staff to polygraph tests in an effort to identify who has been leaking to journalists, The New York Times reported Friday, citing officials briefed on the move.
The tests were administered in August, after multiple news organizations reported that the military was running low on key munitions — including long-range precision missiles and Patriot interceptors — as the United States fights Iran.
Investigators questioned military officers and civilian employees on the Joint Staff about whether they had disclosed classified information to the press, and specifically about whether they had passed along information on depleted U.S. munitions stocks, according to the Times.
The Joint Staff employs between 1,500 and 2,000 officers and officials. The Times called the use of polygraphs on that scale an "extraordinary" step by government investigators.
Timeline
The New York Times, citing two U.S. officials, reports that the Pentagon was preparing to brief Tesla CEO Elon Musk on plans for a potential war with China. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly threatens to subject employees to polygraph tests over the disclosure.
The Wall Street Journal reports Hegseth was "rattled" by the leak. During the hunt for the source, the Journal reported, Hegseth erupted at Adm. Christopher Grady, then the acting chairman of the Joint Chiefs: "I'll hook you up to a f———g polygraph!" Grady was not given a polygraph at the time.
Reuters reports the U.S. has used virtually all of its long-range precision missiles during the Iran war, one of a series of stories on diminished stockpiles.
Roughly 50 Joint Staff members are given polygraph tests, according to the Times.
The Times publishes the account of the expanded leak hunt.
Reactions
Defense Department spokesman Sean Parnell told the Times the Pentagon "does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly."
"Securing classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and of our troops deployed around the world," Parnell added.
The irony was not lost on the outlets that picked up the story. Mediaite noted the polygraph program itself became public because leakers — "officials briefed on the move" — told the Times about it. Raw Story framed the episode as the Pentagon strapping "its own staff to lie detectors after a wave of damning leaks."
What's Next
The Pentagon has not said whether the polygraphs identified anyone, whether more tests are planned, or whether any Joint Staff member faces discipline or referral for prosecution. Parnell's statement declined to address the investigation at all.
With the Iran war ongoing and stockpile reporting continuing, the leak hunt is unlikely to end with the roughly 50 people already tested.
More
The Wider Crackdown
The polygraphs are one piece of a broader effort to shut down disclosures. The Pentagon recently purged classified documents from a secret computer system after leaks revealed that Hegseth had been warned by several U.S. military leaders against a prolonged, large-scale operation in Iran, Raw Story reported.
The Justice Department has also gone after reporters directly, according to Raw Story: it subpoenaed New York Times journalists who reported on security problems with President Trump's Qatari jet — subpoenas that were ultimately dropped — and subpoenaed a Times freelancer in an attempt to identify his sources for a story about a failed top-secret mission in North Korea. Federal law enforcement seized the devices of journalist Max Blumenthal when he returned from Iran.
About Polygraphs
Polygraph results are not admissible as evidence in most U.S. courts, but federal agencies use them as a screening and investigative tool in classified environments.
Poll
Should the Pentagon polygraph its own staff to find leakers?
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