Public Trust Tracker

MED-007 · Press & media · Leak investigations

FBI search of a Washington Post reporter's home in a leak probe

Stage 4 of 5: Legal action · Lawsuits, subpoenas, charges · Last development 24 Feb 2026

In April 2025 Attorney General Pam Bondi rescinded Biden-era limits on subpoenas, court orders and search warrants against journalists in leak investigations. On 14 January 2026 FBI agents searched the Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, who was not a target, and seized her devices in a case against a government contractor. In February 2026 Magistrate Judge William Porter refused to let the Justice Department search the devices itself, ordered a court-run review, and faulted the department for not telling the court about the federal law that restricts newsroom searches.

The contractor, Aurelio Perez-Lugones, has pleaded not guilty. The Bondi memo still requires leadership approval, advance notice and narrow scope for actions against journalists.

Pam Bondi
People
Pam Bondi, FBI
Agencies
Justice Dept, FBI
Reviewed by
Federal courts

Timeline

  1. Judge Porter orders a court-run review and return of material outside the warrant. [2]

  2. FBI searches Natanson's home and seizes devices. [2]

  3. Bondi memo rescinds the Biden-era journalist protections. [1]

Responses

  • Pam Bondi: Said leaks are "illegal and wrong, and it must stop" and that the department would still defend press independence. [1]

Who is acting on it

  • Lawsuit Reporter Hannah Natanson, The Washington Post: Asked the court to return the devices and records seized from the reporter's home (24 Feb 2026, What happened next)

Sources

  1. NPR, 25 Apr 2025
  2. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, 25 Feb 2026

Cite this case

Public Trust Tracker. "FBI search of a Washington Post reporter's home in a leak probe" (MED-007). Last updated 24 Feb 2026. https://publictrusttracker.org/case/med-007-fbi-search-of-a-washington-post-reporters-home-in-a-leak/

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