The federal agents have reportedly seized work and personal laptops, along with other electronic devices including her mobile phone and a Garmin watch, from the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson over the alleged mishandling of classified government material, though officials have denied that either the reporter or the publication is under investigation, while US news agencies and press freedom organisations have raised concerns.
The Washington Post, under executive editor Matt Murray, conveyed that the search warrant was linked to a probe involving a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified information, although the newsroom expressed unease that such an aggressive step had been taken against a reporter engaged in legitimate newsgathering, Al Jazeera reported.
The investigation centres on Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system engineer and information technology specialist working for a Maryland-based contractor, who prosecutors allege had taken screenshots and printouts of intelligence reports and stored classified documents in personal belongings, including a lunchbox discovered during a search of his car and basement.
Authorities contend that Perez-Lugones contacted Natanson to pass on the sensitive material, and the Trump administration, acting through Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, has defended the raid as part of a wider campaign to stamp out leaks that it views as threats to national security.
Press freedom advocates, including Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists, have argued that the seizure of a journalist’s reporting tools risks undermining constitutional protections and discouraging whistleblowers from coming forward, particularly when the reporting in question involved scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal workforce and steer nonpartisan officials towards his political agenda.
The episode has further alarmed media groups because Natanson has also reported on sensitive foreign policy matters, including recent United States actions in Venezuela that culminated in the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, and critics warn that such enforcement tactics could chill investigative journalism at a moment when tensions between the White House and the press remain high.