Sessions Floats Controversial Idea to Catch Leakers

Axios reports he might require all NSC staffers to take lie detector tests
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 11, 2017 9:25 AM CDT
Sessions May Give Lie Detector Tests to All NSC Staffers
Attorney General Jeff Sessions makes a statement at the Justice Department in Washington in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reportedly considering a controversial idea to catch White House leakers. Axios reports that Sessions has floated a proposal to make all 100 or so staffers at the National Security Council take a lie detector test. The purpose of the polygraph would be to figure out who has been leaking transcripts of President Trump's phone calls to foreign leaders. Last month, Sessions announced a big push to crack down on what he termed a "staggering amount of leaks," but the Axios post notes that such inquiries rarely amount to much.

If nothing else, Sessions has reportedly told colleagues, the polygraphs might scare people into changing their behavior. It's not clear whether this is a genuine proposal or whether Sessions put out the information himself as a way to show how serious he is about the leaks, notes a post at New York magazine. The tests "don't really work, so scaring people is about all they're good for," writes Margaret Hartmann. (More Jeff Sessions stories.)

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