𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The White House has put a stop to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s alleged use of polygraph tests in an attempt to root out leakers to the press, according to a new report.

As Hegseth became embroiled in the Signalgate scandal, his team began administering polygraph tests in April to those in his inner circle, U.S. officials, and others with knowledge of the matter, according to The Washington Post.

The White House’s intervention came after Hegseth’s senior advisor, Patrick Weaver, raised concerns to officials that he could be the next target of the defense secretary’s polygraph campaign, the sources said.

Weaver, who held posts in the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Council in Donald Trump’s first administration, allegedly grew irate after learning he might be ordered to take a polygraph test.

Weaver remains an adviser to Hegseth, according to The Post.

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The alleged spate of polygraphs came during a tumultuous period where Hegseth fired three senior Pentagon appointees – Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick – who he accused of leaking classified and sensitive information to the media.

The men deny any accusations of wrongdoing, and Hegseth’s team has presented no evidence to back its claims.

Just days later, the defense secretary was engulfed in Signalgate after top officials mistakenly included The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat, giving him a front-row seat to discussions about impending U.S. strikes on Houthi militants in Yemen back in March.

Multiple tests were carried out over several weeks, with approval from Hegseth and his private attorney, Tim Parlatore, the sources said. However, a Trump administration official intervened with a phone call, instructing the Defense Department to halt the campaign.

Members of the Joint Service Interagency Advisory Group, a specialized Pentagon team assembled to address national security issues like drug cartels, had already been administered tests prior to Weaver’s complaint, the sources added.

Senior Hegseth advisor Colonel Ricky Buria took a polygraph test and received inconclusive results, the sources said, which officials first told the Guardian in May.

Navy Admiral Christopher Grady, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Staff, have also faced the threat of polygraph tests, those with knowledge of the matter said.

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The Pentagon declined to provide a comment to the newspaper on reports of polygraph testing, citing 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,” spokesperson Sean Parnell said.

Despite facing multiple scandals, Trump continues to publicly support Hegseth.

“A lot of people swirl shit to try to take him down, honestly — but talk of drama with him is overblown,” a senior White House official told Politico on Monday. “What I know is that everyone who matters has his back completely, currently.”

However, some Trump allies and MAGA supporters have expressed concerns that the defense secretary’s controversies could damage the administration’s credibility.

One source close to Hegseth said he is being urged to make peace with the employees he has ousted.

“If there’s any chance at Pete resetting and ensuring that whatever time he has left in this position is well served, he’s got to do it — otherwise Pete is just doubling down on the lie,” they told Politico.

The Independent has contacted the White House and the Department of Defense for more information.