The FBI, operating under a new order by Director Kash Patel, has begun employing lie detector tests against government employees suspected of leaking classified or sensitive information about government operations in order to damage or embarrass the Trump administration.
The revelation, first reported on Tuesday, marks an aggressive new chapter in President Donald Trump’s mission to purge leakers from the government, many of whom he claims helped derail parts of his first administration. The use of polygraphs, which measure a person’s physical responses to a series of questions, was confirmed by a Bureau spokesperson.
“The seriousness of the specific leaks in question precipitated the polygraphs, as they involved potential damage to security protocols at the bureau,” said the spokesperson, who declined to elaborate.
Expanding the scope of anti-leak activities comes as part of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s pledge to conduct a thorough review of leaks related to raids against illegal immigrants or “privileged and other sensitive” communications, such as when it was alleged that Elon Musk was set to be briefed on U.S. countermeasures against a possible war with China, a claim denied by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as false.
These leaks, she said in announcing her campaign, are “designed to sow chaos and distrust” in the government.
“People are trying to keep their heads down,” said one former FBI field office head who spoke with the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. “Morale’s in the toilet. … When you see people who are being investigated, or names [of agents who worked on Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot cases] being passed over to the DOJ, it’s what the f***?”
A number of resignations around Hegseth have prompted the embattled Cabinet member to threaten the use of lie detectors on the remaining brass around him, including members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has busily refuted allegations of chaos within the defense department as sniping by disgruntled former employees.
“It’s a toxic environment,” said one official with a top-secret clearance. “First, you’ve got the insecurity of not knowing whether you’re going to get fired or not. Then there’s the witch hunt to find the whistleblowers who are exposing the ineptitude and bad management of agencies. They’re trying to silence those who do not follow the party line.”
The official pointed to the firing of Gen. Timothy Haugh by Trump after conservative influencer Laura Loomer told him Haugh was a “disloyal” member of the U.S. intelligence community.
“People are terrified,” a former intelligence community member involved in leak investigations during the Obama administration apparently said.
“The difference today is they are not looking only for people leaking classified information,” said the former official. “They are looking for people leaking negative information, which is not necessarily against the law,” he said.
Bondi and Patel are not the only leaders in the Trump administration battling the proliferation of leakers. White House border czar Tom Homan and U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have claimed to have found and fired leakers within the government who told media outlets in advance about immigration raids occurring within their cities.