Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, sent a memo Friday saying that members of the Department of Defense (DOD) may be subjected to polygraph tests in a new investigation into alleged leaks at the Pentagon.
Kasper mentioned “recent unauthorized disclosures” of sensitive information but stopped short of specifying any details about the alleged leaks.
The memo came just hours after tech billionaire and President Trump’s close adviser Elon Musk said those who are leaking “maliciously false information” to news outlets will be “found” and prosecuted.
Musk, whose companies have contracts with the DOD, issued the warning Friday morning after The New York Times reported that he was set to be briefed on the U.S. military’s secret plans if a war with China were to take place.
The memo from Hegseth’s chief of staff said, “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.”
“I request the prompt assistance of your Director for Defense Intelligence (Counterintelligence, Law Enforcement, and Security) to support OSD in leading an investigation into unauthorized disclosures in coordination with the appropriate Department of Defense (DoD) stakeholders, including those responsible for maintaining and overseeing information security systems and in coordination with federal partners as required,” it added.
The memo said the use of polygraphs would be done “in accordance with applicable law and policy.”
Earlier Friday, Trump dismissed the report that Musk would receive a briefing on the U.S. strategy for engaging in a potential conflict with China.
