FBI raids home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson linked to Trump admin investigation
WASHINGTON, DC: Federal Bureau of Investigation agents executed a search warrant on Wednesday, January 14, at the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, seizing multiple electronic devices as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of improperly retaining classified materials.
Natanson was at home at the time of the search, according to the newspaper. Authorities told the reporter that she was not the subject of the investigation. The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment publicly on the search.
Search linked to probe of government contractor
According to The Washington Post, the search was connected to an investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland-based systems administrator with top secret security clearance.
An FBI affidavit cited by the paper alleged that Perez-Lugones improperly accessed classified intelligence reports and removed them from secure government facilities.
Investigators alleged that documents marked “secret,” including materials related to national defense, were later found in Perez-Lugones’ lunchbox and in his basement.
The affidavit stated that Perez-Lugones accessed classified databases, took screenshots of intelligence reports related to a foreign country, and printed at least one document without authorization.
Perez-Lugones, an American citizen born in Miami who resided in Laurel, Maryland, had worked as a government contractor since 2002.
His current role was described in the criminal complaint as administrative, and he worked as a systems engineer and information technology specialist for a contracting firm whose primary client was a government agency.
His workplace was listed as Annapolis Junction, Maryland.
During the search, FBI agents seized Natanson’s phone, a Garmin watch, two laptops, and computers belonging to both Natanson personally and The Washington Post, according to the outlet.
Reporter covers federal workforce under Trump administration
Natanson covered the federal workforce and internal government operations and had been part of the outlet's most sensitive reporting during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Her biography on the newspaper’s website had stated that she covered “Trump’s reshaping of the federal government and its effects.”
Bruce D Brown, president of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, criticized the action in a statement.
“Physical searches of reporters’ devices, homes and belongings are some of the most invasive investigative steps law enforcement can take,” Brown said. “They endanger confidential sources far beyond just one investigation.”
In December, Natanson published a first-person account describing the intensity of her reporting, writing that she had received messages from more than 1,100 current and former federal employees.
In the piece, she described fielding late-night calls and texts from workers describing alleged policy changes, firings, and shifts in agency missions under the Trump administration.
“You’ve got to stop,” Natanson quoted her fiancé as saying. "Stop answering them."
Perez-Lugones is expected to appear in federal court in Baltimore on Thursday, according to court filings. A spokesperson for The Washington Post noted that the paper was reviewing the matter.
