FBI searches Washington Post reporter's home for alleged classified information, newspaper says
The FBI conducted a search of a Washington Post reporter's home Wednesday morning in search of alleged classified information, according to the newspaper.
The reporter, Hannah Natanson, was at her home in Virginia when FBI agents knocked on her door to execute the search warrant, the newspaper reported.
Agents seized a phone, two laptop computers – one of which was issued to her by the Washington Post – and a Garmin watch, according to the paper.
Investigators told Natanson that the warrant was part of an ongoing investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, according to the newspaper. Perez-Lugones, whom an FBI affidavit describes as a government contractor, was charged in federal court in Maryland last week for alleged unlawful retention of national defense information, according to the affidavit, dated Jan. 9.
During an appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore Thursday morning, Perez-Lugones’ attorney told the court that the defense was “not prepared to move forward with this case today.” Moments later, the judge asked Perez-Lugones if he was “consenting to detention,” to which he replied, “yes, your honor.”
The judge informed Perez-Lugones that he could seek release at another time. Perez-Lugones, clad in a maroon jail uniform, was placed back in handcuffs before being escorted out of the courtroom.
A Justice Department official told ABC News at the time of Perez-Lugones' arrest that he allegedly was communicating with the Washington Post reporter on his mobile device and sharing classified information via chat. The DOJ official further said that when authorities searched Perez-Lugones' home and car, they found classified documents related to national defense. The latter claim is included in the FBI affidavit.
Perez-Lugones searched systems at his work for classified information without authorization, including a report classified as top secret related to an unspecified foreign country, according to the affidavit. Perez-Lugones then allegedly removed the classified information from the secure compartmented information facility, or SCIF, where they were being kept, the affidavit said.
ABC News efforts to contact Perez-Lugones or his attorney were not immediately successful.
Natanson was informed by investigators that she is not the focus of the probe, the newspaper said, adding that she "covers the federal workforce."
The FBI did not respond to an ABC News request for information about the search. However, FBI Director Kash Patel said in a social media post Wednesday that the FBI "executed a search warrant of an individual at the Washington Post who was found to allegedly be obtaining and reporting classified, sensitive military information from a government contractor – endangering our warfighters and compromising America’s national security. The alleged leaker was arrested this week and is in custody."
"[A]t 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 currently behind bars," Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X Wednesday morning.
"I am proud to work alongside Secretary Hegseth on this effort. The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country," Bondi's statement continued.
News of the search drew swift reactions from press advocacy organizations.
"Physical searches of reporters’ devices, homes, and belongings are some of the most invasive investigative steps law enforcement can take," the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press said in a statement, in part, calling the search "a tremendous escalation in the administration’s intrusions into the independence of the press.”
"While key facts are still emerging, it is extraordinarily rare – and deeply troubling – for law enforcement to search a journalist’s home and seize reporting devices. That step represents a significant escalation in investigative tactics and one that should concern anyone who values a free and independent press," the National Press Club said Wednesday.
"The government has a legitimate responsibility to protect classified information. That responsibility, however, does not override the constitutional protections that allow journalists to do their jobs on behalf of the public," the National Press Club statement continued. "When those protections appear to be at risk, it is something the country should take seriously."
ABC News' Beatrice Peterson contributed to this report.
