Kristi Noem has defended her controversial use of polygraph tests to confirm the loyalty of her staff amid worries about the release of confidential information to the public.
The head of the Department of Homeland Security is on a mission to weed out disloyal employees as she works to enforce President Trump’s aim of fortifying American borders.
It was revealed last week that the department subjected Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Chief Cameron Hamilton to a lie detector test to verify that he had not disclosed confidential details from a meeting with one of Trump’s advisers.
He passed the test and was cleared of any wrongdoing, Politico reported.
Tricia McLaughlin, DHS’s assistant secretary for public affairs, told Fox News the department had no concerns about their methods.
‘Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, DHS is unapologetic about its efforts to root out leakers that undermine national security,’ she said.
‘We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment or status as a career civil servant – we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.’
The DHS in February vowed to use polygraph tests to weed out any staffers who had leaked information, after Trump’s border czar Tom Homan expressed concerns that an internal leak had tipped off illegal immigrants about an upcoming raid.
Kristi Noem has stood by her controversial tactic of using polygraph tests to ensure the loyalty of her staff amid concerns over leaking sensitive information to the public
The DHS in February vowed to use polygraph tests to weed out any staffers who had leaked information, after Trump’s border czar Tom Homan expressed concerns that an internal leak had tipped off illegal immigrants about an upcoming raid
At the time, Homan said the information that made its way out of the department was utilized by Tren de Aragua gang members to hide from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Colorado and California, hampering the efforts of authorities.
‘The Department of Homeland Security is a national security agency,’ McLaughlin said in a post to X at the time.
‘We can, should, and will polygraph personnel.’
The directive had come directly from Noem, who reportedly issued an internal memo ordering her department to administer future polygraphs with a question specifically about unauthorized discussions with journalists and private citizens.
Then in March, the Pentagon announced it was also investigating leaks of information that risked national security.
The department said it would not rule out using lie detectors on employees in the Defense Department as part of the investigation.
Noem revealed last month she had identified two leakers who shared sensitive information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.
‘We plan to prosecute these two individuals and hold them accountable for what they’ve done,’ she said at the time.Â
The directive had come directly from Noem, who reportedly issued an internal memo ordering her department to administer future polygraphs with a question specifically about unauthorized discussions with journalists and private citizens
Last week it emerged that the department reportedly administered a lie detector test to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Chief Cameron Hamilton (pictured)
It is a slight shift in practises, but several departments, namely the FBI, CIA and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have all been known to use polygraphs during the interview phase for potential agents or investigators.Â
The FBI has also been using lie detectors on staff who have access to particularly sensitive information since 2001, when employee Robert Hanssen was arrested for spying for Russia.
The incident involving FEMA’s chief Hamilton took place after reports that the Trump administration was considering ‘eliminating’ the agency.
‘All it does is just complicate everything,’ he told Fox back in January. ‘FEMA has not done their job for the last four years.’
Noem revealed last month she had identified two leakers who shared sensitive information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids
‘Unless you have certain types of leadership, it gets in the way. And FEMA is going to be a whole big discussion very shortly because I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems.’
FEMA brings in emergency personnel, supplies and equipment to help areas begin to recover from natural disasters.
Hamilton had emailed staff reassuring them that the agency’s continued existence was vital to the country’s disaster response efforts.
‘FEMA is a critical agency which performs an essential mission in support of our national security,’ he wrote.
