FBI searches a Washington Post reporter’s home as part of a classified documents investigation

FBI agents conducted a search of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home in Virginia on Wednesday as part of a leak investigation, seizing her phone, two laptops, and a Garmin watch, the Justice Department announced.

The search is connected to an investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Pentagon contractor accused of retaining classified information. Perez-Lugones, a system engineer and IT specialist who held a top secret security clearance, was charged earlier this month with unlawful retention of national defense information after authorities discovered classified documents in his Maryland home, including one marked “SECRET” found in a lunchbox.

According to Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray, the Justice Department informed the newspaper that neither Natanson nor the Post are targets of the investigation. However, Murray expressed deep concern about the search in an email to colleagues, calling it an “extraordinary, aggressive action” that raises “profound questions and concern around the constitutional protections for our work.”

Natanson, known for her extensive reporting on the federal workforce, has been covering President Trump’s transformation of the federal government. Colleagues have nicknamed her “the federal government whisperer” for her ability to develop sources within government agencies.

Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the search was conducted at the Defense Department’s request, alleging that the journalist was “obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor.” The Trump administration took a firm stance on the matter, with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declaring on social platform X that “President Trump has zero tolerance for it and will continue to aggressively crack down on these illegal acts moving forward.”

The search has alarmed press freedom advocates, who warn it could have a chilling effect on investigative journalism. Bruce Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called the action “a tremendous escalation in the administration’s intrusions into the independence of the press,” noting that “physical searches of reporters’ devices, homes, and belongings are some of the most invasive investigative steps law enforcement can take.”

This development follows Bondi’s April decision to rescind a Biden-era policy that had protected journalists from having their phone records secretly seized during leak investigations. The revised guidelines restore prosecutors’ authority to use subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants to identify government officials who make unauthorized disclosures to journalists, though they specify that members of the press are “presumptively entitled to advance notice” of such actions.

Critics have pointed to an apparent contrast in the administration’s approach to sensitive information. While aggressively pursuing this case involving The Washington Post, Bondi previously showed reluctance to investigate an incident where classified military information was accidentally shared in a Signal chat involving senior Trump administration officials and a reporter. At that time, she characterized the episode as a mistake, despite officials noting that the information—including aircraft launch times and bomb release schedules—would typically be classified.

The FBI has declined to comment further on the ongoing investigation. Perez-Lugones is scheduled to appear in court Thursday for a detention hearing. It remains unclear what specific information was allegedly leaked or what reporting by Natanson may have prompted the investigation.