Lawmakers seek watchdog probe into former acting CISA chief’s polygraph failures

A group of House lawmakers is asking federal watchdogs to investigate how officials handled an incident involving former acting Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Madhu Gottumukkala after he failed a required counter-intelligence polygraph. In a Friday letter requesting the probe, lawmakers said Gottumukkala also failed a second polygraph examination while serving in the role.

The letter was led by Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Va. and signed by four others, asking the Department of Homeland Security and Intelligence Community inspectors general to conduct an investigation into the matter. The lawmakers said the development raises questions about whether officials adhered to established intelligence security rules and whether career CISA staff were improperly targeted after administering the exams.

“We write with deep concern regarding the Department of Homeland Security’s investigation into whether cybersecurity staff provided false information to the former Acting Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency,” the letter says. Reps. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton also signed on.

Extensive Politico reporting late last year indicated that, in July 2025, Gottumukkala requested access to a Controlled Access Program, or CAP, a category of highly sensitive intelligence programs that require officials to demonstrate a specific need-to-know and pass a counter-intelligence polygraph before being granted access. He did not pass, and CISA staff involved in the polygraph administration were subsequently placed on leave.

The letter, however, indicates Gottumukkala failed two polygraph exams. House Homeland Security Committee staff were informed about the second polygraph exam and its results by one of the individuals placed on leave, a person familiar with the matter told Nextgov/FCW.

Under intelligence community procedures, failing such a polygraph typically triggers a security review process overseen by agency security officials and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The letter, citing procedural documentation, states that CISA’s chief security officer is required to notify ODNI and initiate a review of the individual’s clearance. The lawmakers said it remains unclear whether those steps were taken.

“We are concerned that Dr. Gottumukkala failed to adhere to established Intelligence Community and Security Executive Agent directives after failing a CAP,” they wrote.

At least five career CISA staff members and one contractor involved in scheduling or approving the polygraph examinations received letters from DHS Acting Chief Security Officer Michael Boyajian informing them their security clearances were suspended, according to the lawmakers. Boyajian’s notice reportedly accused those staff members of misleading Gottumukkala about the requirement to complete a polygraph examination before accessing the controlled program.

Three days later, the employees received additional notification from CISA’s acting chief human capital officer that they had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, lawmakers wrote. As of February, their clearances had remained suspended and they were still on administrative leave, the letter says.

The lawmakers also asked the watchdogs to examine whether the suspension of staff could constitute retaliation or a prohibited personnel practice under federal law governing whistleblower protections within the intelligence community.

A spokesperson for DNI Tulsi Gabbard referred Nextgov/FCW to the ODNI IG office, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. DHS has also been asked for comment.

The polygraph incident was among a smattering of other matters reported in recent months by Politico about Gottumukkala’s tenure. Last month, Gottumukkala was moved into a strategic implementation role in DHS, and executive assistant director for cybersecurity Nick Andersen took his place leading CISA in an acting capacity.