FBI searches home of Washington Post reporter in classified documents probe, newspaper says

FBI agents searched a Washington Post reporter's location connected Wednesday arsenic portion of a leak probe involving a Pentagon contractor accused of sharing classified information, the Justice Department said.

Hannah Natanson, who has been covering President Donald Trump's transformation of the national government, had a telephone and a Garmin ticker seized successful the hunt of her Virginia home, the Post reported. Natanson has reported extensively connected the national workforce, and precocious she published a portion describing however she gained hundreds of caller sources — starring 1 workfellow to telephone her "the national authorities whisperer."

While classified documents investigations aren't unusual, the hunt of a reporter's location marks an escalation successful the government's efforts to ace down connected leaks.

"Leaking classified accusation puts America's nationalist information and the information of our subject heroes successful superior jeopardy," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said successful a post on X. "President Trump has zero tolerance for it and volition proceed to aggressively ace down connected these amerciable acts moving forward."

An affidavit says the hunt was related to an probe into a strategy head in Maryland who authorities allege took location classified reports, the Post reported. The strategy administrator, Aurelio Perez-Lugones, was charged earlier this period with unlawful retention of nationalist defence information, according to tribunal papers.

Perez-Lugones, who held a apical concealed information clearance, is accused of printing classified and delicate reports astatine work. In a hunt of his Maryland home and car this month, authorities recovered documents marked "SECRET," including 1 successful a lunchbox, according to tribunal papers.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said the hunt was done astatine the petition of the Defense Department and said the writer was "obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked accusation from a Pentagon contractor."

Trump's Republican medication "will not tolerate amerciable leaks of classified accusation that, erstwhile reported, airs a sedate hazard to our Nation's nationalist information and the brave men and women who are serving our country," Bondi said successful a post on X.

An FBI spokesperson declined to remark connected Wednesday. The Washington Post said Wednesday that it was monitoring and reviewing the situation. An email seeking remark was sent to lawyers for Perez-Lugones.

The Justice Department over the years has developed, and revised, interior guidelines governing however it volition respond to news media leaks.

In April, Bondi issued caller guidelines saying prosecutors would again person the authorization to usage subpoenas, tribunal orders and hunt warrants to hunt for authorities officials who marque "unauthorized disclosures" to journalists.

The moves rescinded a argumentation from President Joe Biden's Democatic medication that protected journalists from having their telephone records secretly seized during leak investigations — a signifier agelong decried by quality organizations and property state groups.

The assertive posture successful this lawsuit stands successful opposition to the Justice Department's attack to the disclosure of delicate subject information via a Signal chat past outpouring involving elder Trump medication officials. A newsman was mistakenly added to that chat. Bondi indicated publically astatine the clip that she was disinclined to unfastened an investigation, saying she was assured that the occurrence had been a mistake.

Bondi besides repeated Trump medication talking points that the highly delicate accusation successful the chat was not classified, though existent and former U.S. officials person said the posting of the motorboat times of craft and the times that bombs would beryllium released earlier those pilots were adjacent successful the aerial would person been classified.