WASHINGTON — FBI agents searched a reporter’s home on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of taking home government secrets, the newspaper reported.
The FBI searched journalist Hannah Natanson’s devices and seized a phone and a Garmin watch at her Virginia home, the Post said.
While classified documents investigations aren’t unusual, the search of a reporter’s home marks an escalation in the government’s efforts to crack down on leaks.
An affidavit says the search was related to an investigation into a system administrator in Maryland who authorities allege took home classified reports, the newspaper reported. The man, Aurelio Perez-Lugones, was charged earlier this month with unlawful retention of national defense information, according to court papers.
Perez-Lugones, who held a top secret security clearance, is accused of printing classified and sensitive reports at work. In a search of his Maryland home and car this month, authorities found documents marked “SECRET,” including one in a lunchbox, according to court papers.
An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on Wednesday. Justice Department officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Washington Post said Wednesday that it was monitoring and reviewing the situation.
Natanson covers the Trump administration’s transformation of the federal government and recently published a piece describing how she gained hundreds of new sources, leading a colleague to call her “the federal government whisperer.”
The Associated Press was trying to contact Perez-Lugones’ lawyer for comment on his case.
