Justice Department searches Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's home, seizes her devices
Federal agents searched the Virginia home of Hannah Natanson, a Washington Post reporter who covers the federal workforce, on January 14, 2026, and seized a phone, two laptops, a recorder, a portable hard drive and a Garmin watch.
What happened
- Law enforcement officials said the search of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's Virginia home was part of an investigation into Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones, a government contractor with a top-secret clearance indicted in Maryland on charges of unlawfully obtaining and sharing classified materials.
- Federal prosecutors acknowledged that only a small portion of the information on the devices taken from Natanson would be relevant to the case against Perez-Lugones.
- The Washington Post reports that searches of reporters' homes are exceptionally rare.
- A 1980 federal law limits the government's ability to search a reporter's work, the Post reports.
Pushback
- Attorneys for Natanson and The Washington Post said letting the government search the reporter's phone could compromise the identities of more than 1,200 government sources and chill future sources.
- Natanson told the court she usually receives dozens to more than 100 tips a day on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, and that the number has fallen to zero since the seizure.
Where it stands
- William Porter, the federal magistrate judge handling the case, ruled on February 24, 2026 that the court itself, not a Justice Department team, would search the seized devices.
- The Justice Department told the court it plans to appeal Porter's decision and has about 14 days from the ruling to file.
Why it matters
Seizing a reporter's phone and laptops puts the government inside the files of people who talk to the press. Natanson's lawyers say her phone could expose more than 1,200 government sources, and the tips she once received, dozens to more than 100 a day, have fallen to zero. A judge has kept the devices out of the government's hands for now.