FBI Raids Home of Washington Post Reporter in 'Highly Unusual and Aggressive' Move as Part of Probe Into Leaked Government Secrets
The FBI searched journalist Hannah Natanson's devices and took a phone and her Garmin watch from her Virginia home.
Jan. 14 2026, Published 11:29 a.m. ET
The FBI searched the home of a Washington Post reporter in a classified documents probe, which the paper called a "highly unusual and aggressive" move, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
According to a report, the raid is part of an investigation into a government contractor who was accused of taking home government secrets.
What Did the FBI Do at the Washington Post Reporter's Home?
An affidavit explained the search warrant for Hannah Natanson's home was linked to an investigation into a Maryland system administrator.
The FBI searched journalist Hannah Natanson's devices and took a phone and her Garmin watch from her Virginia home.
Although classified document investigations are not outside the norm, searching a reporter's home shows a marked escalation in the efforts of the government to curb leaks.
An affidavit explains the search warrant for Natanson's home was linked to an investigation into a Maryland system administrator named Aurelio Perez-Lugones, who authorities allege took classified reports home. Court records denote he was charged with unlawful retention of national defense information earlier this month.
Have the FBI and Department of Justice Commented on the Raid?
Kash Patel currently leads the FBI who raided the Washington Post reporter's home.
Perez-Lugones held a top-secret security clearance and is accused of printing classified and sensitive reports at work.
When authorities did a search of his Maryland home earlier this month, they found documents marked as "SECRET," including one he had stowed in his lunchbox.
The FBI, currently led by Kash Patel, and the Justice Department, currently led by Pam Bondi, have not commented on the search of Natanson's home to date, but The Washington Post insisted it is reviewing and monitoring the situation.
In her reporting, Natanson covers the Trump administration. She recently wrote a piece describing how she got hundreds of sources, which led to a colleague calling her the "federal government whisperer."
Marty Baron, the former executive editor for the Post, told a media outlet the raid is "a clear and appalling sign that this administration will set no limits on its acts of aggression against an independent press."
Donald Trump's Issues With Female Reporters
Donald Trump has lashed out at female reporters recently.
Donald Trump has been vocal about going at the media for years, but things have ramped up recently with him lashing out at female reporters.
As Radar recently reported, Trump was asked if he thinks Iran takes his threats seriously.
"I think so. Don't you think so, CNN?" he replied. "Wouldn’t you say that they probably do at this point? After going through it for years with me, being hit, (Qasem) Soleimani, (Abu Bakr) al-Baghdadi, the Iran nuclear threat wiped out."
Trump then went at the reporter's question, stating, ""Don’t you think– and then you just had Venezuela. Don't you think, she says, CNN, 'do you think they take your threat seriously?' Wouldn't you say they do after all of the things we've done? What a stupid question."
Other Instances of Donald Trump Lashing Out at Female Reporters
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Donald Trump asked a female reporter if she was a 'stupid person.'
Trump ended 2025 by going at ABC News' Rachel Scott after she questioned him on whether or not he would release the full video footage of airstrikes on Venezuelan fishing boats suspected of smuggling drugs.
In response, Trump called her "the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place" and accused her of asking "hostile" questions.
"Let me just tell you, you are an obnoxious – a terrible, actually, a terrible reporter. And it’s always the same thing with you," Trump exclaimed. "I told you, whatever Pete Hegseth wants to do is OK with me."
In November, when taking questions aboard Air Force One, he also lashed out at a female correspondent, shouting, "Quiet, piggy," to Bloomberg's White House correspondent Catherine Lucey after she inquired about the Epstein files.
Days later, Trump was asked about Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man suspected of fatally shooting one National Guard member and injuring another in Washington, D.C., by CBS News White House correspondent Nancy Cordes.
This led to him asking her, "Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?"
