Having little in terms of January 6 stories to continue foisting upon viewers like an obsessed ex-girlfriend, CBS Justice correspondent Scott MacFarlane expressed concern during Monday’s CBS Mornings Plus for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees being subjected to lie detector tests and investigations into leaks about Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) raids to find and arrest dangerous illegal immigrants.
Oh, poor Scott. But who will leak to Scotty now if they’re going to end up caught by Secretary Kristi Noem?
Co-host Tony Dokoupil set the table for MacFarlane:
The Trump administration is using lie detector tests to look into and identify suspected leakers. That is who Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Czar Tom Homan say are to blame for lower-than-expected immigration arrest totals right now. On Face the Nation yesterday, Noem said that tip-offs about planned ICE raids have endangered the lives of law enforcement officers and she wants major consequences for any leakers involved.
After a clip of Noem reiterating to host Margaret Brennan she has the power to investigate leakers and criminally charge them, MacFarlane complained DHS would be “sounding some type of alarm about what she refers to as the leakers in the federal government” and that, as of this segment, two had been publicly accused.
“Formal charges have not been announced, nor do we find them in the court dockets, and Kristi Noem has not specified, Michelle, whether or not the polygraph tests, which the department started using a few weeks ago, played any role in this,” he declared, attempting to paint a image of...amateur hour.
CBS Saturday Morning co-host Michelle Miller asked a leading question to poke more holes: “We usually think of lie detector tests in criminal cases. Are these the same ones being used, and are they reliable when we think about it?”
MacFarlane predictably shared “they’re not always accurate” and “not always admissible in court cases.”
“As far as charges...it’s also unclear. There’ve been some recent prosecutions for leaking classified information, military information. This is a bit different. Obviously, the secretary is concerned about raid information getting out too quickly and that it may be impacting the number of people who’ve been caught up in these raids,” he added before concluding with Noem also having said DHS will soon need more funds from Congress to continue raids.
To see the relevant CBS transcript from March 10, click “expand.”
CBS Mornings Plus
March 10, 2025
9:10 a.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: The First 100 Days; DHS Lie Detectors]
TONY DOKOUPIL: Alright, it’s not just eggs that are under investigation. The Trump administration is using lie detector tests to look into and identify suspected leakers. That is who Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Czar Tom Homan say are to blame for lower-than-expected immigration arrest totals right now. On Face the Nation yesterday, Noem said that tip-offs about planned ICE raids have endangered the lives of law enforcement officers and she wants major consequences for any leakers involved. Take a listen.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: The First 100 Days; Polygraph Tests Used to Detect DHS “Leakers”?]
HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM [on CBS’s Face the Nation, 03/09/25]: They will be prosecuted, and they could face up to 10 years in federal prison because they did that. Anyone who is leaking information outside of how something is planned for the safety of those law enforcement officers needs to be held accountable for that.
MARGARET BRENNAN[on CBS’s Face the Nation, 03/09/25]: And you’re going to continue these polygraphing employees?
NOEM [on CBS’s Face the Nation, 03/09/25]: The authorities that I have under the Department of Homeland Security are broad and extensive, and I plan to use every single one of them to make sure that we’re following the law.
DOKOUPIL: CBS News Justice Correspondent Scott MacFarlane has been following this story for us. He’s in Washington. Scott, good morning.
SCOTT MACFARLANE: Yeah, Tony, good morning. The Homeland Security Secretary there is sounding some type of alarm about what she refers to as the leakers in the federal government. Specifically, though, she says two people have been accused of sharing information specifically about Homeland Security operations that they’ve been identified and referred for prosecution. Formal charges have not been announced, nor do we find them in the court dockets, and Kristi Noem has not specified, Michelle, whether or not the polygraph tests, which the department started using a few weeks ago, played any role in this.
MICHELLE MILLER: We usually think of lie detector tests in criminal cases. Are these the same ones being used, and are they reliable when we think about it?
MACFARLANE: These are the same types of detector tests that use physiological change monitoring equipment to determine if somebody’s being truthful if they answer a question. We should note they’re not always accurate, they’re not always admissible in court cases. As far as charges are concerned, it’s also unclear. There’ve been some recent prosecutions for leaking classified information, military information. This is a bit different. Obviously, the secretary is concerned about raid information getting out too quickly and that it may be impacting the number of people who’ve been caught up in these raids. Also going to note this, Tony and Michelle, Kristi Noem says there’s concern about money, that the budget is coming short now. They’re running out of cash for these operations and will need Congress to replenish that money as soon as possible.
