At a Glance
- FBI agents executed a search warrant at Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s Virginia home on Wednesday
- Agents seized a phone and Garmin watch and searched her devices
- The raid targets an alleged Pentagon contractor who took classified reports home
- Investigators told Natanson she is not the focus of the probe
Why it matters: The rare move against a working journalist signals the Trump administration’s intensifying campaign against unauthorized disclosures.
FBI agents searched Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s Virginia home on Wednesday as part of an investigation into Navy veteran and government contractor Aurelio Perez-Lugones, who is accused of removing classified documents from a secure facility.
Agents seized a phone and a Garmin watch and examined Natanson’s electronic devices, according to the Post. Investigators emphasized that Natanson herself is not a target of the probe.
The Contractor at the Center
Perez-Lugones, a system administrator living in Laurel, Maryland, holds a Top Secret security clearance. A criminal complaint filed January 9 in federal court charges him with unlawful retention of national defense information.
Key allegations:
- Accessed classified databases without authorization starting in October
- Printed or took screenshots of material related to a foreign country
- Had “no need to know” the information, according to the complaint
- Was photographed January 6 leaving work with a black bag
The FBI conducted surveillance inside a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) where Perez-Lugones worked. During a search of his home two days later, agents found a document marked “SECRET” in the basement and another inside a lunch box in his car.
Administration Defends the Search
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that leaking classified data “puts America’s national security and the safety of our military heroes in serious jeopardy,” adding that President Trump “has zero tolerance for it.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi stated the search occurred at the Pentagon’s request and vowed the administration “will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security.”
Bondi issued new guidelines in April rescinding Biden-era protections that shielded journalists from secret seizure of phone records during leak investigations.
Reporter’s Beat and Recognition
Natanson covers the Trump administration’s overhaul of the federal government. In December she detailed how more than a thousand current and former federal workers contacted her about internal upheaval. A colleague dubbed her “the federal government whisperer.”
She shared in the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for the Post’s coverage of the January 6 Capitol attack and is a Harvard University graduate.
Press Freedom Group Sounds Alarm
PEN America condemned the raid, warning it undermines First Amendment protections.
“Targeting a reporter in their own home as part of a federal law enforcement action is an extraordinary escalation that strikes at the heart of press freedom,” said Tim Richardson of PEN America. “Such behavior is more commonly associated with authoritarian police states than democratic societies.”
The group demanded public justification from the Justice Department and FBI and called on Congress to provide oversight.
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment. Justice Department officials did not immediately respond to inquiries, and lawyers for Perez-Lugones did not reply to an email. The Washington Post said it is monitoring and reviewing the situation.
