UPDATE - FBI searches home of Washington Post reporter in classified leak probe

ADDS TRUMP’S COMMENTS, CHANGES DECK

By Yasin Gungor

ISTANBUL (AA) - Federal investigators conducted a search Wednesday at the Virginia residence of Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson for allegedly “obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information.”

“This past week, at the request of the Department of War, the Department of Justice and FBI executed a search warrant,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on US social media company X.

The law enforcement action is tied to a broader inquiry involving a Maryland-based system administrator, Aurelio Perez-Lugones, who possesses high-level security clearance, WaPo said.

Authorities accuse the contractor of illegally transporting sensitive intelligence documents to his home, and classified materials were discovered hidden in his lunchbox and basement, according to an FBI affidavit reported by the newspaper.

“The leaker is currently behind bars,” Bondi added.

US President Donald Trump confirmed that Perez-Lugones is in jail and said he “will probably be in jail for a long time.”

He told reporters that Perez-Lugones leaked information about Venezuela and there might be additional leakers. It was not clear what he meant but it is likely regarding the US military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro following months of heightened tensions.

Natanson, whose reporting focuses on the federal workforce and significant actions of the Trump administration, was at home during the execution of the warrant.

During the raid, the paper said, agents confiscated her mobile phone and watch.

The affidavit details that Perez-Lugones, an FBI Special Agent since 2021, is assigned to the Counterintelligence Division at the FBI's Washington Field Office and investigates "offenses involving the unauthorized disclosure of classified information." It alleges that he "used databases or repositories to search for, access, and view a classified intelligence report related to a foreign country."

“The Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national,” said Bondi.

The FBI did not offer a statement on the specific objectives of the search or the status of the investigation.