ProPublica has the scoop on the waiver that allowed Bongino to get his top job without clearing a lie detector test. Two other top employees got similar waivers: Nicole Rucker, Kash Patel’s personal assistant, and Marshal Yates, the FBI liaison with Congress. ProPublica was able to determine that Rucker and Yates did not clear their polygraph exams.
However, ProPublica was not able to determine whether Bongino underwent a polygraph exam or what its results were. “It is possible Bongino received a preemptive exemption, a former senior FBI official with knowledge of the vetting program told ProPublica.”
What we do know points to Bongino having not cleared the exam.
One does not technically pass or fail a polygraph test, ProPublica’s article pointed out. “But a person is not cleared for approval if the examiner finds deception or is unable to reach a conclusion about the veracity of the answers given. Officials said that a person may not have technically failed the exams; the results could be deemed inconclusive, which would not meet the FBI’s standards for hiring or security clearances.”
When asked for comment, the FBI denied what ProPublica seemed not to have reported. “It is false that the individuals you referenced failed polygraphs,” wrote spokesperson Ben Williamson. He also claimed the article was “riddled with falsehoods.” But when asked to specify those alleged falsehoods, ProPublica got no response.
Oh.
