FBI Intensifies Polygraph Tests To Root Out Internal Dissent: Report

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly expanded its use of polygraph examinations among staff. The move appears to be part of an intensified internal probe to identify those criticising Director Kash Patel or leaking sensitive information to the press, according to The New York Times.

Traditionally reserved for identifying security threats or individuals unfit to handle classified information, the lie-detector test is now being deployed in a markedly different context. Several senior FBI personnel have recently been questioned specifically about whether they had spoken negatively about Patel, the American daily reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report, the increased use of polygraphs reflects the FBI's heightened efforts to clamp down on unauthorised disclosures, with the focus narrowing in on criticism of the director himself. In one instance, the agency reportedly used the polygraph to figure out who informed journalists about Patel's controversial request for a service weapon, an unusual demand given that he is not a field agent.

The number of employees subjected to these tests is believed to be in the dozens. However, it remains unclear how many were specifically asked about their views on Patel.

Citing sources with direct knowledge of the questioning, the report said that agents were also asked whether they had criticised Patel in any capacity. In at least one case, a senior employee was interrogated about negative remarks, as per The Independent.

These measures have raised alarms among former FBI officials, who described them as politically motivated and deeply concerning. They argue that the current leadership is prioritising personal loyalty over institutional integrity. "An FBI employee's loyalty is to the Constitution, not to the director or deputy director," James Davidson, a former agent who served at the bureau for 23 years, said. "It says everything about Patel's weak constitution that this is even on his radar."

Former bureau personnel said that dissent appears to be discouraged under the current leadership. They suggested that criticising Director Kash Patel or his deputy, Dan Bongino, could put employees' careers at risk.

One such instance involved Michael Feinberg, a former senior official at the FBI's Norfolk, Virginia office. He claimed he was threatened with a polygraph test due to his friendship with Peter Strzok, the former FBI counterintelligence official dismissed over internal controversy linked to the Trump-Russia investigation. Feinberg resigned before the test could be administered.

Writing in Lawfare, Feinberg commented, "Under Patel and Bongino, subject matter expertise and operational competence are readily sacrificed for ideological purity and the ceaseless politicisation of the workforce."

The developments have stoked fears of a deeply politicised atmosphere within the bureau, with loyalty tests and suspicion undermining morale.