The Associated Press reports in this article carried on the CNN.com website:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Several members of the House and Senate intelligence committees have been asked by the FBI to take lie-detector tests as part of an investigation into the leak of documents related to the September 11 attacks, a law enforcement official said.
The official emphasized that the polygraph exams “are always voluntary.”
“Lie-detector tests are a standard element of FBI investigations and they are meant to eliminate people from suspicion,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity late Thursday.
The Washington Post reported in Friday editions that nearly all 37 members of the intelligence committees have been questioned and many have been asked to take polygraphs.
Several lawmakers have refused to take the test, citing the constitutional separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches of government, along with the unreliability of the exams, the newspaper said.