I guess there can never again be a claim made by polygraph supporters that countermeasures don't work.

It seems obvious that the ATF would not have had undercovers attempt countermeasures (with a Mongol standing behind their chair, presumably ready to kill them if they failed) unless they were certain the agents could successfully defeat the polygraph.

pailryder wrote on Nov 3^rd, 2008 at 5:02pm:


I believe the indictment listed the polygraph examiner as an "unnamed co-conspirator."  The question of whether that person is being charged was not answered, to my knowledge.

It is certainly possible that the ATF applied pressure to the polygraph examiner before the tests were administered, but I think it is not likely.  A scenario that would provide sufficient pressure upon the examiner to ensure the agents all passed their polygraph but at the same time kept the examiner in the dark regarding the profession of the uncercovers is difficult to imagine.  It is equally unlikely, in my opinion, that the ATF decided to confide to the examiner that he would be testing undercovers in the hope that he would not divulge what he knew to the Mongols.  When dealing with organized crime it is relatively common to find potential informers to be much more afraid of underworld reprisals than they are of being charged with a crime.

The simplest explanation seems to be that the undercovers used countermeasures to defeat the polygraph.