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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is denying reports that Acting Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Madhu Gottumukkala has failed to obtain information on sensitive intelligence, as an internal investigation and the suspension of several cybersecurity officials increase unrest within the agency, according to a report.
Politico reported that Gottumukkala pushed for access to a heavily restricted intelligence program that required a counter-intelligence polygraph and that at least six employees were placed on paid administrative leave for allegedly misleading leadership about the requirement, a requirement DHS strongly denies.
The outlet said its reporting was based on interviews with four former and eight current cybersecurity officials, including several Trump administration appointees who worked with Gottumukkala or had knowledge of the polygraph test and subsequent events. All 12 were not identified out of fear of retaliation, according to Politico.
DHS retracted the report, saying the polygraph in question was not authorized and that the disciplinary action against the employees was consistent with department policy.
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DHS disputes reports that acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala failed to get a polygraph as the staff was suspended amid an internal investigation and intel access dispute. (CISA Facebook)
“Acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala did not fail an authorized polygraph test. The unauthorized polygraph test was concocted by staff, misleading incoming CISA leadership,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “The employees in question have been placed on administrative leave, pending the completion of the investigation.”
“We expect and require high standards of performance from our employees and hold them directly accountable for respecting all policies and procedures,” he continued. “Acting Director Gottumukkala has the full and complete support of the Secretary and is very focused on returning the agency to its legitimate mission.”
Politico also reported that Gottumukkala failed a polygraph during the last week of July, citing five current officials and one former official.
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DHS disputes reports that acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala failed to get a polygraph as the staff was suspended amid an internal investigation and intel access dispute. (CISA Facebook)
The test was conducted to determine his suitability to review one of the most sensitive intelligence programs shared with CISA by another US spy agency, according to the source.
That intelligence was part of a controlled access program with strict distribution limits, and the established agency required any CISA officer granted the necessary access to intelligence to first pass a counter-intelligence polygraph, according to four current officials and a former official cited by Politico.
As a public service organization, most CISA employees do not need access to such sensitive material or a polygraph to be employed, although polygraphs are commonly used throughout the Pentagon and the US intelligence community to protect highly sensitive government information.
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A person administers a polygraph test. (Getty Images)
Politico reported that senior staff raised questions at least twice about whether Gottumukkala needed intelligence, but said he continued to press for it even if it meant taking a polygraph, citing four current officials.
The site also reported that the first access request in early June, signed by mid-level CISA staff, was denied by the agency’s top official who determined there was no urgent need to know and noted that the agency’s previous deputy director did not view the program.
That senior official was later placed on administrative leave for unrelated reasons in late June, and a second access request signed by Gottumukkala was granted in early July after the official was no longer in the role, according to current officials cited by Politico.
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DHS disputes reports that acting CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala failed to get a polygraph as the staff was suspended amid an internal investigation and intel access dispute. ((Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))
Despite being advised that access to the most sensitive material was not essential to his work and that other, lower-level alternatives were available, Gottumukkala continued to pursue access, officials told the outlet.
Officials interviewed by Politico said they could not clearly explain why Gottumukkala did not pass the July polygraph and warned that the failure could be due to innocent reasons such as anxiety or technical errors, noting that polygraph results are generally not admissible in US courts.
On August 1, shortly after the polygraph, at least six employees involved in planning and authorizing 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 for misleading Gottumukkala, according to officials and a letter reviewed by Politico.
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“This step is taken due to the information received by this office that he may have participated in providing the acting head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) with regard to the existence of the need for a polygraph test before entering certain programs,” said the letter. “The above allegations indicate a willful or negligent failure to follow policies that protect government information, raising concerns about the person’s integrity, judgment, reliability or determination and ability to protect confidential information.”
In a separate letter dated Aug. 4, the suspended employees were notified by CISA Acting Chief Human Resources Officer Kevin Diana that they had been 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 at South Dakota’s Bureau of Information and Technology, which oversees statewide technology and cybersecurity programs.
CISA said in a press release in May that Gottumukkala has more than two decades of experience in information technology and cybersecurity in the public and private sectors.
