The FBI seized a phone and smartwatch from Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson on Wednesday, marking a sharp intensification in the government’s pursuit of unauthorized leaks.
According to the newspaper, the search is tied to an ongoing investigation into Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland system administrator recently charged with hoarding classified materials—including documents allegedly found stashed in a lunchbox.
Natanson, who covers the administration’s overhaul of the federal workforce, recently published a piece detailing how she gained hundreds of new contacts, earning the nickname “the federal government whisperer” among colleagues.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the search was requested by the Pentagon.
“President Donald Trump’s 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 wrote in a post on X.
On Wednesday, an FBI spokesperson declined to comment on the operation, and Justice Department officials did not immediately respond to inquiries.
The Washington Post has stated it is currently “monitoring and reviewing the situation.”
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