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FBI Searches Washington Post Reporter’s Home in Leak Investigation Linked to Contractor

The action reflects DOJ’s restored authority to use searches in leak cases, with agents focusing on a contractor accused of retaining classified reports.

The Washington Post building at One Franklin Square in Washington, D.C. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
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FILE - A person walks into the One Franklin Square Building, home of The Washington Post newspaper, June 21, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
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Overview

  • Agents executed a warrant at Hannah Natanson’s Virginia home on Jan. 14 and seized two laptops, a phone, and a Garmin watch.
  • The warrant cites an investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland system administrator with top-secret clearance charged with unlawful retention of national defense information.
  • Court filings allege Perez-Lugones accessed classified systems, took screenshots and notes, and kept documents marked “SECRET” in unsecured places including a lunchbox and his basement.
  • Investigators told Natanson she is not a target, and the charging documents do not allege that classified material was shared with any news outlet.
  • Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the search and said the suspected leaker is jailed, while press-freedom groups called home searches of journalists rare and highly invasive under the revived DOJ policy.