The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) searched the home of Hannah Natanson, a reporter with The Washington Post. The search was first reported by The New York Times and later confirmed to CNN. A Post spokesperson
said the newspaper was monitoring the situation.
The development comes a month after Hannah Natanson published a first-person account describing her year as what she called a “federal government whisperer,” during which she received tips from hundreds of federal employees affected by US President Donald Trump’s sweeping overhaul of the federal government.
According to the person familiar with the matter, Hannah Natanson was informed that she is not a target of the investigation, suggesting the FBI is seeking information related to one or more of her sources. Hannah Natanson reviewed the search warrant and relayed its contents to her editors, the Post reported.
The warrant, according to the newspaper, states that investigators are probing Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a Maryland-based system administrator with top-secret security clearance. An FBI affidavit alleges that Aurelio Perez-Lugones accessed and improperly retained classified intelligence documents, some of which were found in his lunchbox and in his basement.
Aurelio Perez-Lugones was charged last week with illegally retaining classified materials.
The Washington Post has not said whether it plans to challenge the search warrant.
