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A comment on FBI Director Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Three Senior Staff. Parent comment

Re:FBI Director Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Thre... by sigwinch on Saturday November 15, 2025 @11:07PM (#45942667)
The story is about “new applicants” and positions with no access to classified material. It is not illegal to share unclassified material, which is why DHS was having NDAs passed around.

> DHS said it was "unapologetic" about its drive to root out leakers. "We are agnostic about your standing, tenure, political appointment, or status as a career civil servant - we will track down leakers and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” a DHS spokesperson told Reuters.

Maybe that’s true? I think HN was ok with this because it felt like a rational reaction to bringing guys like Big Balls into the SCIF.

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Re:FBI Director Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Thre... by refurb on Sunday November 16, 2025 @04:10AM (#45943731)
It’s not illegal for me to share non-confidential data of my employer either, but if you were hiring, would you want to understand an applicants attitudes towards such leaks especially after having issues with it in the past?

I would.

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Re:FBI Director Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Thre... by sigwinch on Sunday November 16, 2025 @10:56AM (#45945998)
So it’s not involved in a criminal investigation. Then it’s a loyalty test. Specifically, it reassures them you can keep a secret.
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Re:FBI Director Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Thre... by SR2Z on Sunday November 16, 2025 @12:20PM (#45946702)
To be fair, that's an important qualification for the job regardless of who is president.

It's just the political loyalty that's a bad requirement.

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Re:FBI Director Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Thre... by refurb on Sunday November 16, 2025 @07:43PM (#45949902)
Why would political loyalty be bad? These are cabinet positions, not representatives of the voters whose actions change with changing voter sentiment.

The cabinet is chosen to implement the President’s policies. It would be odd to select for people opposed to the policies or those would actively try and stop them through leaks.

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Re:FBI Director Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Thre... by SR2Z on Monday November 17, 2025 @04:51PM (#45958769)
Political loyalty is not bad (to a degree) but it is never good when it replaces actual competence as the main qualification, or when the required degree of loyalty is unreasonable.
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Re:FBI Director Waived Polygraph Security Screening for Thre... by tootie on Sunday November 16, 2025 @08:40PM (#45950139)
They are being asked if they have disparaged Patel or the administration. Not just keeping secrets. They want loyalty to the regime, not the nation. That is obvious enough given the overt actions of the entire DOJ.
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