After DHS threatened to use polygraphs against its own employees to catch those who have spoken to the press or to non-profits, Whistleblower Aid’s Chief Legal Counsel Andrew Bakaj issued the following statement:

“This move by DHS will intimidate – and therefore deter – lawful whistleblowing. In other words: the Administration has declared a war on whistleblowers. In its first week, the president fired the Inspectors General, the very place where whistleblowers lawfully submit their complaints. Then he fired the Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board, the quasi-judicial body that hears whistleblower retaliation claims. Now, DHS is going after the whistleblowers themselves, rooting them out through purported leak investigations and forcing them to undergo polygraph examinations. To say this will create a chilling effect is an understatement. It is intended to create a culture of fear and force personal loyalty typically only seen in authoritarian regimes and failed states.”