White House to Hegseth: No More Polygraphs

Defense secretary Pete Hegseth's attempt to root out Pentagon leakers with polygraph tests have been abruptly halted—by the White House. The Washington Post reports that the tests were scrapped after a senior adviser to Hegseth complained. The adviser, Patrick Weaver—considered a staunch ally of President Trump and Trump aide Stephen Miller—grew angry at the prospect he might have to take a polygraph himself and went to the White House, per the Post.

Hegseth begin administering the tests to various people in April, particularly after a reporter inadvertently ended up in a war-planning text group on the Signal platform. The Pentagon declined to comment on the development and instead criticized the media's "obsession with months old workplace gossip." The New York Times, meanwhile, reports that Hegseth refused to promote a senior Army officer because of unsubstantiated allegations the officer had leaked information. The story provides a larger backdrop of the issue, in which the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff urged Hegseth to reconsider:

• "The standoff reflects an ongoing clash between Mr. Hegseth's highly partisan worldview, in which he has written that the Democratic Party 'really does hate America,' and the longstanding tradition of an apolitical military that pledges an oath to the Constitution. ... Hegseth's actions could shape the military's top ranks for years to come. His insistence on absolute loyalty, backed with repeated threats of polygraphs, also creates uncertainty and mistrust that threaten to undermine the readiness and effectiveness of the force, officials said."