The FBI conducted a search of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home on Wednesday, in connection with a probe into stolen classified Pentagon documents. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the journalist had received the documents from a “leaker” who has been arrested.
Natanson, based in Virginia, is not the focus of the investigation, according to The Washington Post. Federal agents seized multiple electronic devices from her home while investigating system administrator Aurelio Perez-Lugones, who allegedly took intelligence reports home using his top-secret clearance.
Documents marked “SECRET” were found at Perez-Lugones’ home, including one reportedly in a lunchbox. He has been charged with unlawful retention of national defense information and is currently in custody.
Bondi stated the search was carried out at the request of the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and FBI. Natanson has reported extensively on President Donald Trump’s administration and has been described by colleagues as a dedicated and tireless journalist.
The raid has drawn criticism for being an unprecedented move against an independent press. Bruce D. Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called home searches of journalists “some of the most invasive investigative steps law enforcement can take.”
Marty Baron, former executive editor of The Washington Post, called it “a clear and appalling sign that this administration will set no limits on its acts of aggression against an independent press.”
Natanson, a Harvard graduate and reporter at the Post since 2019, was part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team for Public Service in 2022 for coverage of the January 6, 2021 events. The search highlights ongoing tensions between press freedom and national security investigations.
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