FBI Seizes Washington Post Journalist’s Devices in Search of Home in Leak Probe

AP Photo/Lauren Victoria Burke

The FBI searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson on Wednesday morning as part of an investigation into the alleged mishandling of classified information.

Natanson was at her Virginia home when the search took place and, according to the newspaper’s own reporting, agents examined her devices before seizing a phone, Garmin watch, and two laptops — one personally owned and the other issued by The Post. Agents reportedly then informed Natanson that she was not the focus of the investigation.

The newspaper reported that the raid took place as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified materials.

According to an FBI affidavit as described by The Post, the warrant is tied to an inquiry into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland-based system administrator with top-secret clearance. He is accused of accessing classified intelligence reports and taking them home, where documents were allegedly found in his lunchbox and basement.

Neither The Washington Post nor the newspaper’s owner, billionaire Jeff Bezos, have publicly commented on the raid.

By late morning FBI director Kash Patel acknowledged the search had taken place, explaining that the intelligence reports included “sensitive military information”:

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt followed warning that President Donald Trump had “zero tolerance” for leaks:

The move to search and seize is noted by The Post as rare, even in aggressive leak investigations where authorities typically pursue journalists’ phone or email records rather than physically searching their homes.

Natanson has spent the past year closely covering the Trump administration’s campaign to fire large numbers of federal workers and reshape the civil service to more directly serve the president’s agenda. Her reporting documented widespread anger and fear inside government agencies as employees confronted pressure to fall in line or risk losing their jobs.

Natanson recently published a first-person account describing her interactions with federal employees, including messages in which sources conveyed their understanding of the risks in speaking out.

“I understand the risks,” one Defense Department worker told her. “But getting the truth and facts out is so much more important.” Another, a Justice Department staff member, wrote: “I’d never thought I’d be leaking info like this.”