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| Fifth Column |
| Washington Post reporter's home searched by FBI |
| 2026-01-14 |
| [FoxNews] Search warrant executed on Hannah Natanson's home, devices The FBI executed a search warrant on Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's home on Wednesday as part of a probe into "a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials," the paper announced. Natanson was at her Virginia home at the time of the search and a warrant stated "law enforcement was investigating Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland who has a top secret security clearance and has been accused of accessing and taking home classified intelligence reports that were found in his lunchbox and his basement," the Post reported, citing an FBI affidavit. Natanson covers "the Trump administration's reshaping of the government and its effects," according to her X bio. Her home and devices were searched, and Natanson told her employer that a phone and Garmin watch were seized. Perez-Lugones is an American citizen who was born in Miami and now resides in Laurel, Maryland, according to a criminal complaint. He has been a government contractor since 2002 and possesses top secret security clearance. Perez-Lugones’ current role is "administrative," according to the complaint. He works as a systems engineer and information technology specialist for a government contracting company whose primary customer is a government agency. His workplace is in Annapolis Junction, Maryland, according to the complaint. Perez-Lugones is accused of using databases and repositories to search for, access and view a classified intelligence report related to a foreign country. He is accused of taking a screenshot of the report and printing it. The complaint states that at least one document marked "secret" that was found in Perez-Lugones’ basement was related to national defense. The Washington Post reported Natanson has been part of its most sensitive coverage of the first year of the second Trump administration. The Washington Post told Fox News Digital that it is "reviewing and monitoring the situation." Attorney General Pamela Bondi addressed the search on social media. "This past week, at the request of the Department of War, the Department of Justice and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor. The leaker is currently behind bars. I am proud to work alongside Secretary Hegseth on this effort. 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 wrote. Natanson penned a story last month headlined, "I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal," that detailed her experiences talking to government employees and its effects on her personal and work life as she fielded thousands of messages. Her recent work includes reporting headlined, "Inside the frantic global race to find an escape route for Maduro," "Maduro raid killed about 75 in Venezuela, U.S. officials assess" and "How Social Security has gotten worse under Trump." FBI Director Kash Patel also confirmed the search. "This morning the @FBI and partners executed a search warrant of an individual at the Washington Post who was found to allegedly be obtaining and reporting classified, sensitive military information from a government contractor - endangering our warfighters and compromising America’s national security. The alleged leaker was arrested this week and is in custody. As this is an ongoing investigation, we will have no further comment," Patel wrote on X. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #1 |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2026-01-14 12:40 |