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The FBI executed a search warrant at the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson on Wednesday (January 13) as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified materials. Natanson, who covers the federal workforce, was present during the search, which resulted in the seizure of her phone, two laptops, and a Garmin watch.
The investigation centers on Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland with top-secret security clearance. He is accused of taking classified intelligence reports home, which were reportedly found in his lunchbox and basement, according to an FBI affidavit.
While Natanson is not the focus of the probe, the search of a journalist's home is considered highly unusual and aggressive. The Washington Post is reviewing the situation, and the Justice Department has not commented on the matter.
Marty Baron, former executive editor of the Post, criticized the move as an attack on press freedom. Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, also condemned the raid, stating that such searches can endanger confidential sources and impair public interest reporting.
The search follows a policy change by Attorney General Pam Bondi, who rescinded a Biden-era policy that protected reporters' communication records from being searched. Bondi stated that such measures would only be used when other investigative methods were exhausted.