Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents searched the home of a Washington Post journalist on Wednesday as part of an investigation into potential sharing of classified government information, a move that civil liberties groups warned could chill press freedom in the United States.
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The reporter, Hannah Natanson, has extensively covered President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul the federal bureaucracy by firing large numbers of civil servants and redirecting remaining staff toward implementing his political agenda. The newspaper said Natanson was present during the search at her Virginia residence.
This past week, at the request of the Department of War, the Department of Justice and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor. The leaker is…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 14, 2026
US Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the operation was conducted at the request of the Defence Department. The Biden-era Justice Department policy barring prosecutors from seizing reporter records in most circumstances was reversed last year, clearing the way for more aggressive measures targeting leaks.
The Post reported that the search was linked to a criminal case involving Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a contractor technology specialist charged with unlawful retention of national defense information. Prosecutors allege Perez-Lugones took screenshots of classified intelligence reports and printed documents that were later found in his home and car, including in a lunchbox.
An FBI affidavit cited in the criminal complaint said the materials were marked “secret.” Bondi said the Trump administration “will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information” that could threaten national security.
Press freedom advocates condemned the raid as a concerning escalation in the administration’s confrontation with the media. “Searches of newsrooms and journalists are hallmarks of illiberal regimes,” said Jameel Jaffer of the Knight First Amendment Institute, warning against normalizing such practices.
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Natanson recently described the pressures of covering federal bureaucratic turmoil in a Post essay, highlighting the intense volume of calls and messages from government employees concerned about workplace changes.