FBI raids Washington Post reporter’s home
The FBI executed a search warrant on Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s Virginia home on Wednesday, seizing her phone, two laptops, her personal computer, a work laptop belonging to the Bezos-owned newspaper, and even her Garmin watch. According to multiple news outlets, Natanson was told she is not a target of the investigation — but Attorney General Pam Bondi’s statement tells a different story.
Bondi said Natanson “was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor,” adding that the Trump administration “will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security.” The warrant names a government contractor named Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator with top secret clearance accused of taking classified intelligence reports home in his lunchbox.
Searching a journalist’s home is an extraordinary step. Even past administrations that aggressively pursued leak investigations — and the Obama administration was notably aggressive — stopped short of raiding reporters’ homes. “Searches of newsrooms and journalists are hallmarks of illiberal regimes, and we must ensure that these practices are not normalized here,” said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute.
Natanson, 29, is part of a team covering Trump’s overhaul of the federal workforce. She won a Peabody in 2024 and was part of the team that won a Pulitzer for covering the January 6 insurrection.