At least six career staffers at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) were suspended with pay this summer after organizing a polygraph test that the agency's acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, failed, according to multiple current and former U.S. cybersecurity officials, Politico reported on Sunday.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subsequently initiated a probe into whether the staff provided "false information" about the need for the test, which was scheduled after Gottumukkala sought access to highly sensitive cyber intelligence shared with CISA by another U.S. intelligence agency.
The Politico report is based on interviews with eight current and four former U.S. cybersecurity officials, including multiple Trump administration appointees, who either worked closely with Gottumukkala or had direct knowledge of the polygraph examination and the events that followed. All were granted anonymity for fear of retaliation.
The July incident and the fallout that followed — which has not previously been reported — riled career staff, alarmed fellow Trump administration appointees, and raised serious concerns about Gottumukkala's leadership of the nearly $3 billion cyber defense agency.
"Instead of taking ownership and saying, 'Hey, I screwed up,' he gets other people blamed and potentially ruins their careers," said one current official, who described Gottumukkala's tenure at CISA as "a nightmare" for the agency.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Politico that Gottumukkala "did not fail a sanctioned polygraph test."
"An unsanctioned polygraph test was coordinated by staff, misleading incoming CISA leadership," McLaughlin wrote. "The employees in question were placed on administrative leave, pending conclusion of an investigation.
"We expect and require the highest standards of performance from our employees and hold them directly accountable to uphold all policies and procedures. Gottumukkala has the complete and full support of the Secretary and is laser focused on returning the agency to its statutory mission."
Asked to clarify what constitutes an "unsanctioned" polygraph, McLaughlin said that polygraph examinations must be ordered by leadership with proper authority. "Random bureaucrats can't just order a polygraph," she said.
The suspensions come during an already turbulent period for CISA, which has faced sweeping personnel and budget cuts under President Donald Trump. Nearly one-third of the agency's staff have left since January, and some employees were recently given an ultimatum to either take immigration-related roles within DHS or leave the agency.
CISA has also lacked a permanent, Senate-confirmed leader since former Director Jen Easterly resigned in January. Gottumukkala, a former senior IT official in South Dakota under Kristi Noem, was appointed deputy director in May by Noem after she became DHS secretary. As the most senior official at CISA, Gottumukkala currently serves as acting director.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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