January 14, 2026, 5:18 p.mJanuary 14, 2026, 5:18 p.m
Officers from the US Federal Police FBI searched the home of a Washington Post reporter. According to the newspaper itself and the New York Times, the measure is related to an investigation against a government employee. According to media reports, the search warrant said that he took intelligence reports home without permission and passed them on.
The journalist, Hannah Natanson, was said to have been present during the search. Investigators confiscated her cell phone, two laptops – including a work device – and a smartwatch. The investigators told her, writes the Washington Post, that the investigation was not directed against her, but against a system administrator from the state of Maryland with a top-level security clearance. According to investigators, he is said to have kept classified documents in his basement and other places in his home.
The media sharply criticized the incident
The Washington Post criticized searches of reporters’ homes as extremely unusual and aggressive, even in the context of data leak investigations. The incident raises questions about press freedom in the USA, according to the US broadcaster CNN.
The journalist in question had reported intensively last year on US President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismiss federal employees or to reorient them politically. Numerous government employees turned to her with concerns, anger and fear, US media reports. According to media reports, experts fear that such measures against journalists could have a deterrent effect on whistleblowers. The FBI initially did not comment on the matter.
Government defends the operation
US Attorney General Pamela Bondi defended the action. On Platform X, she explained that the search was carried out at the request of the Ministry of Defense. The journalist received classified and illegally passed on information from a Pentagon contractor and reported on it. The alleged informant is now in custody. The government will not tolerate illegal leaks of secret documents because they pose a significant risk to U.S. national security. (hkl/sda/dpa)