FBI Searches Home of Washington Post Reporter in Leak Probe

Federal Bureau of Investigation agents searched the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson on Wednesday, seizing her phone, a Garmin watch, two laptops and other devices as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of unlawfully retaining classified national defense information.

The search warrant, reviewed by the newspaper, targeted an inquiry into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland-based system administrator with top-secret security clearance who works for a government contractor. Court documents indicate Perez-Lugones was charged earlier this month with removing sensitive intelligence reports from secure government systems and taking them home. Authorities found some of the documents in his lunchbox and basement, according to an FBI affidavit. Investigators informed Natanson during the search that she is not a target of the probe, suggesting the action sought information related to her sources rather than her own conduct.

Natanson covers the Trump administration's overhaul of the federal workforce, including widespread firings, policy changes and agency transformations. Her reporting has focused on the experiences of current and former...