Washington DC - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently laid out a new rule to bar members of his department from speaking to Congress without his knowledge.

According to CNN, Hegseth sent a memo to staffers on October 15, informing them that "Unauthorized engagements with Congress by [Defense Department] personnel acting in their official capacity, no matter how well-intentioned, may undermine Department-wide priorities critical to achieving our legislative objectives."

The memo argues that the Pentagon "relies on a collaborative and close partnership with Congress to achieve our legislative goals," which requires "coordination of alignment of Department messaging."

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell described the new rule as "a pragmatic step" to reviewing the process of how the Pentagon communicates with Congress, and an effort to "facilitate increased transparency."

Parnell further insisted it "does not change how or from whom Congress receives information."

Since President Donald Trump appointed him to his role, Hegseth has faced a number of scandals, including several damning leaks.

In an attempt to weed out leakers from his agency, Hegseth has ordered officials to undergo random polygraph tests and has pushed restrictions on reporters' access to the Pentagon.

A Trump administration official ordered Hegseth to cease the polygraph tests, and multiple major media outlets – including The New York Times and The Washington Post – have refused to agree to his new guidelines.