FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter's Alexandria home
Press freedom groups condemn 'extraordinary and dangerous escalation' after agents seize journalist's devices
Federal agents searched the Alexandria home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson early Wednesday morning, seizing her phone, two laptops, and a Garmin watch as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified materials, according to the Washington Post.
Natanson, who covers the federal workforce, was home at the time of the 6 a.m. search, the Post reported. Investigators told her she is not the target of the probe, which centers on Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland-based system administrator with top-secret clearance who was arrested last week, according to the Post.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the search in a social media post, stating the administration “will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information,” according to CBS News.
The Society of Professional Journalists strongly condemned the search, calling it “an extraordinary and dangerous escalation in the federal government’s recent treatment of journalists,” according to an SPJ statement.
SPJ noted that the Privacy Protection Act of 1980 was passed by Congress specifically to limit law enforcement searches of journalists’ homes and seizures of their work product. “The law exists to protect the public’s right to know — not to shield the government from embarrassment or scrutiny,” the organization said.
Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray called the search “an extraordinary, aggressive action” that “raises profound questions and concern around the constitutional protections for our work,” according to the Post.
Natanson has not been accused of any wrongdoing, the Post reported.
Publisher’s note: I am a longtime member of the Society of Professional Journalists and share SPJ’s concerns about the implications of this search for press freedom. The Alexandria Brief has verified that this incident occurred in Alexandria but is withholding the specific address to protect the reporter’s privacy.