Acting CISA Director Reportedly Took Polygraph Following Intelligence Access Request, Prompting DHS Internal Review
Published
Key Takeaways
- Polygraph examination: Acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala reportedly did not pass a polygraph examination scheduled to grant him access to sensitive intelligence.
- Staff suspensions: At least 6 career staff members were placed on paid administrative leave after DHS opened an investigation.
- Leadership uncertainty: The incident adds to internal tension at the agency, which continues to operate without a Senate-confirmed director.
Madhu Gottumukkala, the Acting Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), was reported by multiple current and former officials to have not passed a polygraph examination conducted in late July, according to Politico.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), however, has stated that Gottumukkala “did not fail a sanctioned polygraph test.”
Following the incident, DHS opened an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the examination. At least six CISA career employees were later placed on paid administrative leave in early August, according to officials and correspondence reviewed by Politico.
Polygraph Tied Intelligence Access Request
The polygraph was administered after Gottumukkala sought access to a highly sensitive controlled access program shared with CISA by another intelligence agency, according to current and former officials interviewed by Politico. Access to the program reportedly required a counterintelligence polygraph for individuals granted need-to-know status.
While most civilian CISA employees are not required to undergo polygraph testing, officials said this specific intelligence program carried additional access requirements. Several senior officials reportedly advised that access to the program was not essential to Gottumukkala’s role, Politico reported.
Politico reports that, despite being advised by senior officials that the access was not essential to his role, Gottumukkala allegedly persisted with the request, leading to the examination.
Gottumukkala “had trusted advisers he could have leaned on, and he didn’t,” said one of the officials cited as sources by Politico.
DHS Investigation Focus on Career Staff
DHS has alleged that career staff involved in facilitating the examination provided inaccurate or misleading information about whether the polygraph was required. In a statement to Politico, DHS said the test was “unsanctioned” and coordinated without proper authorization.
Letters sent on Aug. 1 from then-acting DHS Chief Security Officer Michael Boyajian informed several staff members that their access to classified information had been temporarily suspended. Separate letters dated Aug. 4 placed those individuals on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to officials and documents reviewed by Politico.
Some current officials questioned the decision to discipline staff for executing a request ultimately signed by agency leadership, raising internal concerns about how responsibility was assigned.
Impact on Cybersecurity Agency Leadership and Stability
This incident arrives at a time when CISA is navigating a through the budget cuts and personnel reductions.
CISA and Sandi in August launched Thorium, a free anti-malware tool capable of scheduling over 1,700 jobs per second and processing up to 10 million files per hour per user.
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