In a post on social media, President Donald Trump's Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that that the individual accused of leaking classified information to The Washington Post is "currently behind bars," and the home of the journalist who reported on their information was raided.
On Tuesday, federal agents executed a search warrant at the Virginia home of Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson, seizing her phone, two laptops (one personal and one work-issued), and a Garmin watch.
The search was carried out as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged leaks of classified material from a Pentagon contractor. Natanson, who covers the federal government and its workforce, was told by investigators she is not a target of the investigation.
Bondi took to social media platform X to defend the operation, writing that the information given by the leaker was "classified and illegally leaked information," and that "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."
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…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 14, 2026
The individual whose arrest Bondi referenced appears to be Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Pentagon contractor and former Navy veteran with a top-secret security clearance. Perez-Lugones has been charged in federal court in Maryland with alleged unlawful retention of national defense information, according to court filings and media reporting. Authorities allege he improperly accessed and kept classified intelligence reports, some reportedly found in his lunchbox and basement.
Though Perez-Lugones has been charged with possessing and mishandling classified information, court documents have not publicly accused him of actually leaking that material to Natanson or any Washington Post reporter. But the connection between the contractor and the journalist's reporting was cited by Bondi as the basis for the extraordinary search.
FBI Director Kash Patel also took to social media to address the leaks, writing, 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."
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…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) January 14, 2026
Historically, the Department of Justice has maintained internal policies limiting its ability to issue subpoenas or search warrants targeting reporters to protect confidential sources and shield press freedoms. Those guidelines, put in place under previous administrations, have been rolled back under Bondi's leadership, giving prosecutors broader authority in leak investigations.
Natanson, a seasoned reporter at The Washington Post, had no charges brought against her as part of this action, and her newsroom has decried the search. The Washington Post wrote that the "Post has a long history of zealous support for robust press freedoms. The entire institution stands by those freedoms and our work. We have been in close touch with Hannah, with authorities and with legal counsel and will keep you updated as we learn more. In the meantime, the best thing all of us can do is to continue to vigorously exercise those freedoms as we do every day."
