Nancy A. Youssef, Alexander Ward, and Vera Bergengruen report for the Wall Street Journal in a 24 April 2025 article titled, “Polygraph Threats, Leaks and Infighting: The Chaos Inside Hegseth’s Pentagon.” Excerpt:
WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was rattled.
Word had leaked that he was planning a classified briefing for Elon Musk on China, a revelation that infuriated President Trump and raised alarms inside the Pentagon given Musk’s business ties to Beijing.
“I’ll hook you up to a f—ing polygraph!” Hegseth shouted at Adm. Christopher Grady, the then-acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to two people familiar with the exchange. Hegseth demanded proof that Grady hadn’t leaked news of the March 21 briefing.
Grady was never subjected to a polygraph, and Hegseth would go on to accuse a number of other people for the leak, including Lt. Gen. Doug Sims, the Joint Staff director, who Hegseth also threatened with a polygraph test.
It is not clear what proof Secretary of Defense Hegseth might have found acceptable to show that Admiral Grady had not leaked news of Elon Musk’s planned briefing, but polygraph chart readings are not proof, and it is fortuitous that Hegseth evidently did not hook Admiral Grady, Lieutenant General Sims, or, apparently, anyone else up to a fucking polygraph: there is no documented instance of the fucking polygraph ever solving a federal fucking leak investigation.
For related earlier reporting, see “DoD May Use Polygraphs in Musk Pentagon Visit Leak Investigation” and “Pentagon Officials Warned of Potential Polygraph Testing.”
Update: ABC News has corroborated the Wall Street Journal‘s reporting. Excerpt:
ABC News has confirmed that in at least two separate meetings Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused top-ranking military officers of leaking to the media and threatened to polygraph them.
According to one person familiar with the exchanges, Hegseth was upset by media reports that he had planned a briefing for Elon Musk on China.
In a meeting with Adm. Christopher Grady, who was serving as then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hegseth yelled “I’ll hook you up to a [expletive] polygraph!”
Hegseth then made a similar threat in a separate meeting with Lt. Gen. Doug Sims, the Joint Staff director, according to the person.
It is hard to say who is more incompetent, Hegseth or Noem. Hegseth has had at least two major breaches that would have resulted in the immediate termination of a lower-ranking employee. Really, how is it possible to be so stupid that the editor of the Atlantic Magazine was on a text chain about the imminent bombing of a terrorist camp? Also, what kind of clearance does Musk have? This administration is all about the money.
As mentioned many times, polygraphs do not work as truth detectors. Noem and Hegseth should not be ignorant of this pseudo-technology.