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The Washington Post said Natanson was present during the search of her home and reiterated that investigators told her she was not the focus of the investigation.
FBI agents searched the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson on Wednesday (January 14) as part of an investigation into the alleged sharing of classified government information, Reuters reported, citing officials. The Washington Post said investigators told Natanson she was not a target of the probe.
The search is linked to a case against Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a technology specialist working for a US government contractor, who was charged last week with unlawful retention of national defence information.
Prosecutors allege Perez-Lugones took screenshots of classified intelligence reports and printed them. Investigators also found documents marked “secret” in his car and basement, according to an FBI affidavit.
Justice Department stance
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said on X that the Justice Department and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist who had been “obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information” from a Pentagon contractor. She added that the alleged leaker is now in custody and said the Trump administration would not tolerate illegal leaks that pose risks to national security.
Who is Hannah Natanson?
Hannah Natanson is a Washington Post reporter covering President Donald Trump’s reshaping of the federal government and its impact on the federal workforce. She has reported extensively on Trump’s push to fire large numbers of federal workers and realign remaining staff to implement his agenda.
Before joining the federal government beat, Natanson covered education for six years. She is a Harvard University graduate with a BA.
Awards and recognition
Natanson has received several major journalism honours. She was part of the Washington Post team that won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the January 6, 2021, US Capitol insurrection. In 2024, she won a George Foster Peabody Award for a podcast series on school gun violence. She has also been a Pulitzer finalist and has received awards from the Education Writers Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, and Poynter.
Recent reporting
In December, Natanson wrote a first-person account titled “I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal,” describing the volume of calls and messages she received from current and former federal employees distressed by rapid policy changes under the Trump administration.
Washington Post response
The Washington Post said Natanson was present during the search of her home and reiterated that investigators told her she was not the focus of the investigation. The paper has not accused Natanson of wrongdoing.
English (US) ·