White House Forces Hegseth to Stop Polygraphing Employees He Suspects of Media Leaks: Report

The White House was forced to intervene to stop Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from administering polygraph tests to his employees in an effort to curb media leaks, according to an exclusive report from The Washington Post.

Hegseth's team reportedly began conducting polygraph tests in April to employees, including members of the Joint Service Interagency Advisory Group, a unit tasked with exploring strategies to combat drug cartels and strengthen security along the southern border, the Post reported. The group includes numerous Special Operations personnel as well as representatives from other agencies, including the FBI.

The tests, which were approved by Hegseth and Tim Parlatore, his private attorney and part-time military aide, were conducted over several weeks. The effort drew White House attention after Patrick Weaver, a senior adviser to Hegseth, privately complained to a White House official about the possibility of being subjected to a test. According to The Washington Post, Weaver, described as an "immigration hawk," is seen as a loyal ally of President Donald Trump and a close associate of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

Hegseth reportedly also threatened to administer polygraph tests to other high-ranking officials, including Army Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Sims. Although Hegseth had previously intended to promote Sims, a 34-year Army veteran to four-star general, he later bypassed the promotion, alleging Sims leaked information to the media without providing evidence.

The Pentagon declined to respond directly to the reporting about the polygraph tests, the Department's spokesperson, Sean Parnell, said in a written statement that "the Department will not comment on an ongoing investigation."

"The Fake News Media's obsession with months old workplace gossip is a reflection of the sad and pathetic state of 'journalism' in Washington," the statement continued, adding that Hegseth was grateful for Sims's service and wished him well in his future endeavors.

The polygraph tests came in April during a period of upheaval in Hegseth's inner circle, following the defense secretary's dismissal of three senior Pentagon appointees over alleged media leaks, a claim for which Hegseth provided no evidence. The leak investigation had begun a month earlier, initiated by a memo from Hegseth's then–Chief of Staff Joe Kasper, calling for a "thorough investigation" into "unauthorized disclosures of national security information."

Days later, Hegseth became entangled in another controversy as "Signalgate" unfolded. He was accused of using the Signal messaging app to discuss highly sensitive government information ahead of a bombing in Yemen. The situation escalated when a journalist was inadvertently included in the group chat and later disclosed the incident. Subsequent reports revealed Hegseth shared classified details related to the March attack, including information sourced from an email marked "SECRET."