FBI agents searched the home of the Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, on Wednesday, 14 January, as part of an investigation into the alleged sharing of classified government information.
Natanson has covered U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to fire large numbers of federal workers and reorient the civil service towards his policy agenda.
However, according to media, during the search of Natanson's Virginia home, the investigators told her she was not the target of the probe.
The investigation was linked to the case against Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a technology specialist for a U.S. government contractor, the Washington Post reported.
Perez-Lugones was charged last week with unlawful retention of national defence information. Prosecutors allege he took screenshots of classified intelligence reports and printed them, according to a criminal complaint.
Investigators later found documents marked “secret” in a lunchbox in his car and in his basement, an FBI document said.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the search was carried out at the request of the Defence Department.
Bondi defended the investigation, saying on X that the administration “will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information” that pose a threat to national security.
The probe comes after the Justice Department's 2025 decision to reverse a longstanding policy that largely barred prosecutors from seizing journalists’ records.
Press-freedom advocates criticised the search as an escalation in pressure on the media.
Jameel Jaffer, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, said searches involving journalists were “hallmarks of illiberal regimes” and warned against allowing such practices to become normalised.
U.S. President Donald Trump has frequently clashed with major news organisations and is currently pursuing lawsuits against several outlets, including the BBC, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
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At least 10 people have died and several others were wounded after an Israeli airstrike on a neighbourhood outside a school sheltering displaced Palestinians on Monday (7 April), according to health officials.
The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote on Tuesday (April 7) on a resolution to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, but in significantly watered-down form after veto-wielding China opposed authorising force, diplomats said.
The four astronauts aboard Artemis II briefly lost contact with Earth while flying behind the Moon, then regained it during a dramatic lunar far-side flyby.
Iran said on Monday it wanted a lasting end to the war with the U.S. and Israel, and pushed back against pressure to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. President Donald Trump warned the country could be "taken out" if it did not meet his Tuesday night deadline to reach a deal.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters that Iran could be taken out in one night, "and that night might be tomorrow night," warning Tehran it had to make a deal by Tuesday night or face wider bombing raids.
The crew of Artemis II mission are entering a pivotal phase of their journey, as they prepare to swing around the Moon and head back towards Earth. Now on the fifth day of their 10-day mission, the four astronauts are already witnessing views no human has ever seen.
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran's energy and transport infrastructure in a social media post containing expletives on Sunday (5 April), as he seperately gave Iran a deadline of Tuesday to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
A new proposal to end hostilities between the United States and Iran could come into effect as soon as Monday, potentially reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz, a source familiar with the plan said on Monday.
Oil prices rose sharply on Monday as fears deepened over potential supply shortages caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, unsettling global energy markets and the row over the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns for consumers and businesses alike.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has travelled to Hungary in a show of support for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, as the country prepares for what is expected to be a tightly fought parliamentary election.
As Hungary approaches a crucial vote, younger citizens who grew up under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán are increasingly backing the opposition, with some saying they may leave if he secures another term.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has urged EU prosecutors to speed up their probe into politicians from his party who are under investigation for fraud. The EU has asked to investigate 11 conservative MPs who are currently protected by parliamentary immunity.
In a move highlighting growing friction between global trade and digital retail, China on Monday issued new guidance for its rapidly expanding e-commerce sector.
North Korea's test of a solid-fuel rocket engine is intended for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) built with carbon fibre to extend range and allow for delivery of heavier and possibly multiple warheads, South Korean lawmakers said on Monday.
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