Agents with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the home of a Washington Post reporter this week as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of leaking classified information, officials said.
In a post on X, US Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that agents had searched the home of a journalist who allegedly was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor.
Bondi confirmed that the contractor had been arrested.
The Washington Post identified the reporter to the BBC as Hannah Natanson, who has covered how President Donald Trump's administration has drastically reduced and reshaped the federal workforce.
Natanson was at her home in Virginia on Wednesday when federal agents conducted the search. They confiscated her phone, a personal computer, and a Garmin watch, according to the Post.
Natanson was informed that she was not the focus of the probe, which is centered on Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland with top-secret security clearance.
An FBI affidavit indicated that Perez-Lugones had accessed and printed classified intelligence reports. During their search of his vehicle, officials reported finding classified information in a lunch box.
The court filings do not suggest that Perez-Lugones disseminated the information. He faces charges of unlawful retention of national defense information and is scheduled to appear in court soon.
Bondi stated that the Trump administration would not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that pose a significant risk to national security and the safety of military personnel.
The raid on Natanson's home has sparked concern from press freedom advocates. Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, emphasized that any search targeting a journalist warrants intense scrutiny as it could deter vital reporting essential to democracy.
Natanson has previously reported on the sharing of sensitive information by sources inside government agencies who disclosed details they weren’t supposed to reveal.
Notably, earlier this year, Bondi ended Biden-era regulations that protected journalists against having their phone records seized or being compelled to testify in leak inquiries.
