FBI seizes WaPo reporter's phone, watch after Pentagon request in classified leak probe

The home of a Washington Post reporter was searched by the FBI late on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a leak involving a Pentagon contractor accused of mishandling classified national defence information.

The Justice Department said that agents seized Hannah Natanson’s phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch from her home in Virginia.

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.

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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.

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.”

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What has WaPo said?

While The Washington Post confirmed that neither the paper nor Natanson are targets of the investigation, Executive Editor Matt Murray condemned the search as an “extraordinary step.”

In a memo to staff, Murray argued the move threatens the constitutional protections vital to investigative journalism. Reaffirming the Post’s commitment to reporter independence, he labelled the government’s actions “deeply concerning” and called for total transparency as the case proceeds.

With inputs from agencies