FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter's home on Wednesday as officials said an investigation into possible sharing of government secrets continues, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The reporter, Hannah Natanson, has covered US President Donald Trump's campaign to fire hundreds of thousands of federal workers and shift the remaining workforce to implement a pro-administration agenda.
Natanson wrote a story in December about her personal experience covering the story titled "I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal." In it, she described the relentless pace of calls and messages she received from current and former federal employees frustrated by the changes.
Natanson could not immediately be reached for comment. The Washington Post is reviewing and monitoring the situation, a spokesperson said.
Washington Post, US Attorney General respond on social media
"Investigators told the reporter that she is not the focus of the probe. The warrant said law enforcement was investigating a system administrator in Maryland who has been accused of taking home classified intelligence reports," the Washington Post said on X.
US Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the Justice Department and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post reporter on Wednesday, but did not confirm the reporter's identity.
Bondi said the search took place in the past week and that the leaker was in custody. She did not identify the journalist in her social media post or indicate whether any classified documents were found.
The newspaper reported that Natanson was present for the search of her Virginia home on Wednesday. It reported that the search was linked to the case against Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a technology specialist for a US government contractor, who was charged last week with unlawfully retaining national defense information.
Prosecutors alleged that Perez-Lugones took screenshots of classified intelligence reports and printed those documents, according to a criminal complaint.
'Secret' documents at contractor's home
Investigators also found documents marked "secret" in a lunchbox in Perez-Lugones' car and in his basement, according to an FBI affidavit.
"The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security," Bondi said on X.
Press-freedom advocates said the search was a dramatic escalation in the administration's ongoing attacks on news media.
"Searches of newsrooms and journalists are hallmarks of illiberal regimes, and we must ensure that these practices are not normalized here," said Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute.
Trump has often taken an antagonistic approach toward the news media and has filed lawsuits against the BBC, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and a newspaper in Iowa. All four outlets are fighting Trump in court. Others, including CBS and ABC, have paid millions of dollars to settle lawsuits by Trump alleging unfair coverage.
Under owner Jeff Bezos, the world's fourth-richest person, the Washington Post has shifted its formerly left-leaning opinion section to the right, but its news coverage remains nonpartisan. Amazon, which Bezos founded, donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration last year, and Bezos was one of several tech moguls who were featured at the ceremony.