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.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases...
The death toll from last week's catastrophic floods in Nepal and Tibet rose to 939 on Monday, with 3,044 peo...
At least 11 people, including eight children, have been killed after a powerful explosion at a firecracker fact...
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have concluded talks in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, as leaders gather for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
Iran has reached an understanding with Oman on transit arrangements through the Strait of Hormuz, but the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils its commitments, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Saturday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused U.S. government and Israel-aligned actors of manipulating energy markets to promote the war with Iran.
Russian strikes on the Kyiv region overnight killed 37 people, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. Zelenskyy added that the Ukrainian capital was under "virtually nonstop attack" from drones.
U.S. forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, with Tehran responding by launching ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan in the first direct U.S.-Iran military escalation in weeks.
The death toll from last week's catastrophic floods in Nepal and Tibet rose to 939 on Monday, with 3,044 people still missing, as fresh rainfall pushed up river levels and forced rescuers to move to higher ground.
Recovery teams are continuing operations in Grand Canyon National Park after flash floods swept through parts of the canyon over the weekend, leaving one person dead and leading to the discovery of a second body that has yet to be recovered.
Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have formalised their new defensive alliance at the grouping’s first high-level meeting held Monday in Istanbul.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has stated that Tehran is not pursuing a military conflict but promised a strong response to 'aggressors' while the Army and Revolutionary Guards said they carried out retaliatory attacks against U.S. bases in the region on Monday.
Kyrgyzstan is hosting the sixth World Nomad Games, bringing together thousands of athletes from around the world for a celebration of traditional sports, cultural heritage and nomadic traditions.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment