Kate Laurensen is a veteran reporter. She started out covering entertainment news for the local city paper before moving up to the City desk. She studied journalism at San Francisco City College for the Arts.
September 9 , 2026
WASHINGTON — A reported polygraph examination involving Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has become the subject of renewed attention after an alleged physiological response to a question about the 2020 presidential election.
According to sources present during the examination, Hegseth was asked: “Did Donald Trump win the 2020 election?” The examiner reportedly noted a significant change in the subject's physiological readings immediately afterward. The account does not establish whether the response indicated deception, stress, uncertainty or another reaction.
Hegseth has denied that the examination demonstrated dishonesty and has questioned the reliability of interpreting individual polygraph responses as proof of a person's truthfulness. A Pentagon spokesperson likewise said that no conclusion about the secretary's credibility should be drawn from an isolated physiological response.
The allegation comes amid heightened attention to the Pentagon's use of polygraph examinations. Recent reporting has documented an unusually broad leak investigation involving military and civilian personnel, with about 50 Joint Staff officials reportedly subjected to polygraph examinations.
Polygraph examinations measure physiological changes such as heart rate, respiration and skin conductivity. They do not directly detect lies, and their results can be affected by factors unrelated to deception. Consequently, an unusual reading by itself does not establish that a person has lied.
The examination has prompted competing interpretations. Supporters of Hegseth argue that an unusual physiological response is not evidence of deception, while critics contend that the episode raises questions about the secretary's views on the election and his willingness to discuss them publicly.
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