Federal Bureau of Investigation agents executed a search warrant Wednesday at the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, the newspaper confirmed, seizing her phone, two laptops and other devices as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of improperly retaining classified materials.
The rare enforcement action — authorities say it stems from a probe into a Maryland-based system administrator charged with removing sensitive intelligence documents from secure facilities — targeted Natanson's residence and equipment, though the reporter is not believed to be a target of the underlying case.
Natanson has spent much of the past year covering the Trump administration's overhaul of the federal workforce and internal agency dynamics. Law enforcement searches of journalists' homes are highly unusual and have raised alarms among press freedom advocates.
A Washington Post spokesperson verified the action but the Justice Department and FBI have declined to comment publicly. Some press rights organizations called the move a troubling escalation in government scrutiny of reporters covering sensitive federal matters.
This is a developing story.
