CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala allegedly failed polygraph, DHS disputes

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is disputing reports that Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala failed a polygraph test after seeking access to highly sensitive intelligence as an internal investigation and suspension of multiple career cybersecurity officials deepened turmoil within the agency, according to a report.

Politico reported Gottumukkala pushed for access to a tightly restricted intelligence program that required a counterintelligence polygraph and that at least six career staff members were subsequently placed on paid administrative leave over alleged misleading leadership on the requirement, an allegation that DHS has vehemently denied.

The publication said its report was based on interviews with four former and eight current cybersecurity officials, including multiple Trump administration appointees, who worked with Gottumukkala or had knowledge of the polygraph examination and subsequent events. All 12 were granted anonymity due to concerns of retaliation, according to Politico.

DHS retracted the reporting, saying the polygraph in question was not authorized and that disciplinary action against career staff was in accordance with department policy.

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“Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala did not fail an authorized polygraph test. An unauthorized polygraph test was coordinated by staff and misled incoming CISA leadership,” DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital. he said. “The employees in question have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.”

“We expect and demand the highest standards of performance from our employees and hold them directly accountable for complying with all policies and procedures,” he continued. “Acting Director Gottumukkala has the full and complete support of the Secretary and remains focused on returning the agency to its statutory mission.”

Politico also reported that Gottumukkala failed a polygraph test in the last week of July, citing five current officials and one former official.

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DHS disputes reports that CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala failed the polygraph test because the staff member was suspended amid an internal investigation and intelligence access dispute. (CISA Facebook)

According to the press, the test was conducted to determine whether another US spy agency would be suitable for examining one of the most sensitive intelligence programs shared with CISA.

That intelligence was part of a controlled access program with tight distribution limits, and the source agency required that any CISA personnel granted need-to-know access first pass a counterintelligence polygraph, according to four current officials and a former official cited by Politico.

As a civilian agency, most CISA employees do not need access to such highly classified materials or polygraphs to be hired, but polygraphs are widely used in the Pentagon and throughout the U.S. intelligence community to protect the government’s most sensitive information.

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One person administers the lie detector test. (Getty Images)

Politico reported that senior staff questioned at least twice whether Gottumukkala needed access to intelligence, but continued to press for it even if it meant taking a polygraph, citing four officials present.

The publication also reported that an initial request for access, signed by mid-level CISA staff in early June, was denied by a senior agency official who determined there was no immediate need for the information and noted that the agency’s previous deputy director had not viewed the program.

That top official was later placed on administrative leave for unrelated reasons in late June, according to current officials cited by Politico, and a second access request signed by Gottumukkala was approved in early July after the official was no longer on the job.

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DHS disputes reports that CISA Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala failed the polygraph test because the staff member was suspended amid an internal investigation and intelligence access dispute. (Celal Güneş/Anadolu Agency, via Getty Images)

Gottumukkala continued to seek access even though he was told access to the most sensitive material was not necessary for his job and that lower-classified alternatives were available, officials told the news outlet.

Officials interviewed by Politico said they could not explain definitively why Gottumukkala failed the polygraph test in July, noting that polygraph results are generally not accepted in US courts and cautioning that failures could be due to harmless reasons such as anxiety or technical errors.

On Aug. 1, shortly after the polygraph test, at least six career staffers involved in planning and approving the test were notified in letters from then-DHS Chief Security Officer Michael Boyajian that their access to classified national security information had been temporarily suspended because of the potentially misleading Gottumukkala, according to officials and a letter reviewed by Politico.

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“This action is being taken due to information received by this office that you may have contributed to providing false information to the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) regarding the existence of a polygraph examination requirement prior to access to certain programs,” the letter said. The statement was included. “The above allegation demonstrates intentional or negligent failure to comply with policies protecting government information, raising concerns about the individual’s trustworthiness, judgment, trustworthiness, or desire and ability to protect classified information.”

In a separate letter dated Aug. 4, the suspended employees were informed by CISA Acting Human Resources Director Kevin Diana that they were being placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation, according to current and former officials and a copy reviewed by Politico.

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Gottumukkala was appointed deputy director of CISA in May and previously served as commissioner and chief information officer of the South Dakota Bureau of Information and Technology, which oversees technology and cybersecurity initiatives statewide.

Gottumukkala has more than two decades of experience in information technology and cybersecurity in the public and private sectors, CISA said in a press release in May.