FBI Searches Home of Washington Post Journalist Amid Investigation

Search Conducted at Reporter’s Residence in Classified Documents Investigation

Agents from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a search of a Washington Post journalist's home this week as part of an investigation related to a government contractor accused of leaking classified information, officials reported. In a post on X, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that agents searched the home of a journalist who reportedly "obtained and reported classified information leaked illegally from a Pentagon contractor." Bondi indicated that the contractor has been arrested.

The Washington Post identified the reporter as Hannah Natanson, who has reported on how the Trump administration drastically reduced and reshaped the federal workforce. Natanson was at her home in Virginia on Wednesday when federal agents arrived to search her residence. They confiscated her phone, a work computer, a personal computer, and a Garmin wristband, according to reports from the Washington Post.

It appears that Natanson was informed she is not the main subject of the investigation, as reported by the source, which indicates that officials are examining the activities of Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator from Maryland holding a secret security clearance. According to an FBI statement, Perez-Lugones, a systems engineer and IT specialist with a government contract since 2002, accessed and printed classified intelligence reports. Officials stated they found classified information in a lunch box during a search of Perez-Lugones’s vehicle, according to court documents. The documents do not mention any dissemination of this information.

The allegations assert that Perez-Lugones is charged with the illegal retention of national defense information and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. Bondi stated that the Trump administration "will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a serious risk to our nation's national security and to the brave men and women who serve our country."

The search of Natanson's home has raised concerns among press freedom advocates and free speech supporters. "Any search targeting a journalist demands special scrutiny, as such searches can deter and impede reporting that is vital to our democracy," said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, in a statement. Natanson has previously written about her experience gathering more than 1,000 sources who have worked or are working for the federal government while reporting on the layoffs, buyouts, and firings leveraged by Trump to reduce the federal workforce.