FBI cannot examine electronic devices seized from WaPo journalist's home, federal judge rules

A federal judge has ruled that the FBI cannot examine the electronic devices seized during a raid at the home of a Washington Post journalist last week until he reviews the case.

“The government must preserve but must not review any of the materials that law enforcement seized pursuant to search warrants the Court issued," US Magistrate Judge William B. Porter wrote in a ruling.

Porter’s response followed a motion filed earlier that day by The Washington Post and reporter Hannah Natanson. The filing demands that the FBI return Natanson’s seized equipment, including her cellphone, work and personal laptops, a digital recorder, a hard drive, and a Garmin smartwatch.

Both the newspaper and Natanson “have demonstrated good cause in their filings to maintain the status quo until such time as the government can respond to the motions and the Court can more fully address them,” Porter wrote.

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“The outrageous seizure of our reporter’s confidential newsgathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials,” the news outlet said in a statement later.

Natanson’s deep reporting on the federal workforce and her ability to cultivate hundreds of new sources have earned her the newsroom nickname “the federal government whisperer.”

Why was Natanson’s home searched?

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the search was part of an investigation into an alleged leak from the Pentagon, which has introduced new restrictive media policies under President Donald Trump.

Bondi said the journalist “was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor” and that the search warrant was executed after a request from the Defense Department.

Agents told Natanson she is not the focus of the probe.

The paper reported that law enforcement was investigating Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator with top-level security clearance who is accused of taking home intelligence documents found in his lunchbox and his basement.

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Perez-Lugones, who served in the US Navy before working as a Pentagon contractor, was arrested last week in Maryland, according to court documents that do not mention any contact with journalists.

“The leaker is currently behind bars,” Bondi said on social media. “The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security.”