The Washington Post has demanded that the personal items of reporter Hannah Natanson, whose private residence was raided by the FBI last week, be immediately returned.
The paper filed two motions in a federal court in Virginia to retrieve Natanson’s two laptops, two phones, a Garmin watch, and other devices that were seized in connection with an investigation into a government contractor’s alleged retention of classified information.
In a statement on Wednesday, The Post said:
“The outrageous seizure of our reporter’s confidential news gathering materials chills speech, cripples reporting, and inflicts irreparable harm every day the government keeps its hands on these materials.
“We have asked the court to order the immediate return of all seized materials and prevent their use. Anything less would license future newsroom raids and normalise censorship by search warrant.”
The paper also asked that the US government keep copies of the material under seal – and not review them – until the court has decided the matter.
“The Post and Natanson have an undeniable interest in, and need for, the seized data,” the application read.
“Withholding this data would harm them irreparably, violate their constitutional rights, and constitute an unlawful prior restraint. Return is the only adequate remedy.”
Focus of investigation on Pentagon contractor
According to The Post and court filings, investigators are pursuing Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland-based system administrator with top-secret security clearance.
Perez-Lugones allegedly removed classified intelligence reports from secure government facilities, with documents later found in his home, his basement and inside a lunch box.
Perez-Lugones, a Navy veteran, has been charged with unlawful retention of national defence information and remains in federal custody in Maryland.
Investigators say Perez-Lugones was messaging Natanson at the time of his arrest and that their chat contained classified information, though the criminal complaint itself does not accuse him of leaking material to the journalist.
US Attorney-General Pam Bondi.
‘Extraordinary, aggressive action’
Searches of journalists’ homes are exceptionally rare, with federal regulations designed to limit law enforcement tactics that could expose confidential sources or chill newsgathering.
In an email to staff, The Post executive editor Matt Murray described the raid as an “extraordinary, aggressive action” that raises “profound questions and concern around the constitutional protections for our work”.
Murray confirmed that Natanson and the newspaper had been told they were not targets of the investigation.
“The Washington Post has a long history of zealous support for robust press freedoms,” Murray wrote. “The entire institution stands by those freedoms and our work.”
Administration defends crackdown on leaks
Attorney-General Pam Bondi defended the search in a public statement, saying the administration would not tolerate “illegal leaks of classified information” that pose a risk to national security.
“The Trump 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 said.
President Donald Trump echoed that stance during remarks at the White House, saying: “The leaker has been found and is in jail right now.”
What neither addressed is the legal grey area in which journalists operate.
The United States has no law explicitly making it a crime for journalists to obtain or publish classified information – a tension highlighted during the Julian Assange case, which raised concerns among First Amendment scholars about precedent-setting risks for news organisations.
Press freedom concerns intensify
Press-freedom advocates have warned that the seizure of Natanson’s electronic devices could expose unrelated sources and sensitive reporting material.
They argue that even when journalists are not charged, aggressive investigative tactics can have a chilling effect on whistleblowers and reporters alike – particularly those covering national security and government accountability.
Those concerns are heightened by Natanson’s beat.
She has been a central figure in the Post’s coverage of the Trump administration’s mass reshaping of the federal workforce and has built a network of more than 1,000 current and former federal employees as sources.