Brazen Pentagon Leakers 'Practice Beating Polygraphs' Amid Trump's 'Idiotic' Leak Crackdown: 'Dismissing Their Clumsy Crusade'
Pentagon staffers are said to be practicing beating polygraph tests amid Donald Trump's crackdown on press leaks.
Oct. 8 2025, Published 3:10 p.m. ET
Pentagon staffers are said to be waging war and "dismissing" President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's "clumsy crusade" by leaking more stories to the press amid the White House's attempts to crack down on rogue insiders, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Trump administration began its crackdown on Pentagon leakers after Hegseth ordered hundreds of top US military generals and officers stationed around the world to Quantico, where the defense secretary rolled out controversial new standards.
Trump and Hegseth's Efforts to Silence Pentagon Leaks
Hegseth recently ordered top US military officials stationed around the world to Quantico for a rollout of new standards.
While speaking to the nation's top military officials, Trump declared war on the "enemy from within" and made it clear those who opposed the administration's efforts could resign.
Days later, insiders claimed the Pentagon planned to impose non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) on staffers, as well as random polygraph tests, in an effort to prevent more press leaks.
But sources have since claimed the plan has backfired – and staffers were reportedly going to "practice" beating the lie detector tests.
Defense Department Staffer Calls Trump and Hegseth's Crackdown 'Idiotic'
Sources claimed the Pentagon plans to make over 5,000 staffers and service members sign NDAs.
Over 5,000 service members, staffers, and contract workers would be expected to sign the NDAs.
A draft memo from Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg, reviewed by the Washington Post, reportedly stated the alleged NDAs "prohibit the release of non-public information without approval or through a defined process."
The insiders said Trump and Hegseth's attempts to silence press leaks from the Pentagon have only motivated staffers to share more information and personal thoughts on the chaos brewing inside the department with the media.
One Defense Department insider reportedly branded Hegseth's plan to whip the department into shape "idiotic."
The source added: "It is clearly an attempt at intimidating everybody to just fall in line and support Trump, and this stuff only works if you let it get to you."
Defense department sources branded Trump and Hegseth's plan to shut down press leaks 'idiotic.'
This isn't the first time Trump has gone after Pentagon staffers. The president has discredited transgender service members and previously declared on social media, "WE WILL NOT HAVE A WOKE MILITARY!"
Former and current US military officials also warned Trump would tap loyal yes-men to carry out revenge against his perceived enemies – and Trump himself said his former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, could be "executed" for treason.
Last year, Democratic Sen. Jack Reed said: "He will destroy the Department of Defense, frankly. He will go in and he will dismiss generals who stand up for the Constitution."
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Trump has long claimed the military is too 'woke' and has been compromised by Democrats.
Following the controversial Quantico address, critics slammed Trump and Hegseth as disrespectful and unfit for office.
Many wondered how the former Fox News host still had a job after the signal-gate scandal, when he was caught using an unsecured group chat app to communicate military plans, his "demands to build out a makeup studio" at the Pentagon, and scandals in his personal life.
Despite calls for Trump to fire Hegseth, insiders claimed the present won't cut ties with the defense secretary because they both believed the military has been compromised by liberals.
