The FBI on Wednesday searched the home of Hannah Natanson, a reporter for The Washington Post who has closely covered President Trump’s dismantling of the federal government, The Washington Post first reported.
The FBI executed a search warrant as part of an investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a federal employee with top security clearance who is accused of taking classified documents, which were found in his lunchbox and home, according to the Post. Officials familiar with the matter told The New York Times the search was a part of an investigation into the sharing of government secrets.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for a comment. But in a statement, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the directive to execute a search warrant came from the “Department of War” as it investigates a contractor with the Pentagon. Bondi added that the person accused of leaking “is currently behind bars.”
“The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country,” Bondi said.
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Natanson covered major stories about the reshaping of the government under the Trump administration, including a story in December 2025 that involved speaking with more than 1,200 current and former government employees, according to a post on X from her colleague.
Natanson also spoke to her experience as the “federal government whisperer” in an essay in which she shared some of the urgent messages she received daily after putting her contact information in a federal workers’ Reddit channel.
Natanson told The Washington Post that a phone and a Garmin watch were seized by the FBI.
A spokesperson for the newsroom told NOTUS that “The Washington Post is reviewing and monitoring the situation.”
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Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
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