The White House allegedly ordered a halt to Pentagon lie detector tests after claims they targeted top officials.
The White House has reportedly intervened to suspend the use of lie detector (polygraph) tests at the U.S. Department of Defense after concerns were raised that senior officials were being unfairly targeted.
According to The Washington Post, unnamed sources said the tests were initially introduced with the approval of Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to deter unauthorised disclosures to the media. However, the practice faced internal backlash when Patrick Weaver, one of Hegseth’s senior advisers, reportedly voiced concern about being subjected to a test himself.
Officials said Weaver complained directly to the White House, alleging that the polygraph programme was being misused to single out high-level staff. A source close to President Donald Trump's administration allegedly made a phone call to intervene, leading to an order halting the tests.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
Polygraph tests, commonly referred to as “lie detectors,” measure physiological data such as heart rate and blood pressure in an attempt to assess truthfulness.
On 23 March, Hegseth’s chief of staff Joe Kasper announced an internal probe into leaks and said polygraph tests would be used in accordance with legal standards. He warned that any individual found to have breached disclosure rules could face criminal prosecution.
In April, multiple senior staff—including senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and deputy defence secretary aide Colin Carroll—were dismissed as part of the leak investigations.
Pakistan has indicated its openness to forming a regional bloc with Bangladesh without including India. The statement from Islamabad follows comments ...
President Javier Milei has introduced a new labour reform proposal to Argentina’s Congress, aiming to address what his administration describes as a...
The global centre of political gravity is increasingly moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a development with significant implications for the So...
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Turkmenistan on 11–12 December to attend the International Peace and Security Forum in Ashgabat....
The South Caucasus is witnessing a notable recalibration of geopolitical alignments, with Azerbaijan and Armenia both pursuing strategic partnerships ...
A Pentagon investigation has raised concerns over U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the Signal app on his personal device to transmit sensitive information regarding planned U.S. strikes in Yemen, potentially compromising U.S. military operations.
The Pentagon on Monday threatened to recall U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy captain, to active duty status in order to prosecute him after what it described as seditious behavior by the former astronaut and decorated veteran.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 1 November, covering the latest developments you need to know.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the U.S. military to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in 33 years, minutes before meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.Trump made the surprise announcement on Truth Social while aboard his Marine One helicopt
Scores of demonstrators gathered outside the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo Tuesday (9 December) to protest against the awarding of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
The world’s leading minds and voices will be honoured on Wednesday, 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, as Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm and Oslo.
In a dramatic Champions League clash at Baku’s Tofiq Bahramov Stadium, Qarabağ grabbed an early lead, but Ajax staged a thrilling comeback to win 4-2.
At least 19 people were killed and 16 injured as two buildings collapased in Morocco's Fes city according to the state news agency.
Iran's President Massoud Pezeshkian has begun a two day visit to Kazakhstan, with officials from both sides describing the trip as an opportunity to advance cooperation in trade, transport, industry, mining and cultural exchanges.
The White House has confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump intends to maintain both a “good working relationship” with China and a “very strong alliance” with Japan, even as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
Pakistan has indicated its openness to forming a regional bloc with Bangladesh without including India. The statement from Islamabad follows comments by Bangladesh’s top foreign affairs adviser, Md Touhid Hossain, that such an arrangement is strategically possible without India.
President Javier Milei has introduced a new labour reform proposal to Argentina’s Congress, aiming to address what his administration describes as a "rigid structure" that has hindered job creation in the country.
Torrential rain swept across the Gaza, flooding hundreds of tents and homes sheltering families displaced by years of conflict, raising concerns that the fragile truce may be cracking as authorities struggle to manage the growing humanitarian crisis.
In a significant shift in its foreign policy, China has unveiled a new policy paper promising no-strings-attached development support to Latin America and the Caribbean, signalling a major upgrade in its engagement with the region.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment