Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
The FBI searches a Washington Post reporter’s home and seizes her devices in a leak probe
A judge ruled in May 2026 that the Privacy Protection Act barred the government’s search. The devices remain under court-supervised review.
What happened
FBI agents searched the Alexandria, Virginia home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson on January 14, 2026 and seized a phone, two laptops, a portable drive, a recorder and a smartwatch. The warrant was tied to the prosecution of contractor Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones for leaking national defense information. Prosecutors acknowledged only a small fraction of the material was responsive.
On February 24, Magistrate Judge William Porter ruled the court, not a DOJ filter team, would review the devices. DOJ objected on March 10. DOJ objected on March 10. Prosecutors had acknowledged that only a small fraction of the seized material was responsive to the warrant.
On May 4, 2026, District Judge Anthony Trenga overruled the objections, holding the Privacy Protection Act barred the government’s search. No Fourth Circuit appeal had been reported as of October 9, and the devices remain under court-supervised review.
Who benefited
The government held a reporter’s devices from January 14, 2026, and acknowledged that only a small fraction of the material was responsive. The leak prosecution of Perez-Lugones was the basis for the warrant. The leak prosecution of contractor Aurelio Luis Perez-Lugones was the basis for the warrant, and the devices have remained under court-supervised review since.
Who wanted something
Prosecutors wanted evidence for the Perez-Lugones leak prosecution, and wanted a DOJ filter team, not a court, to review the devices. DOJ objected when the magistrate judge ruled otherwise, and the district judge overruled the objections.
Who lost out
A Washington Post reporter lost her phone, two laptops, a portable drive, a recorder and a smartwatch to a search a federal judge later held the Privacy Protection Act barred. The devices are still under court-supervised review.
Why it matters
A federal judge found that the search of a reporter’s home was barred by law, nearly four months after agents carried the devices out. The devices remain under court review, and no appeal had been reported as of October 9.
Sources U.S. District Court, E.D. Va. (via RCFP) (primary)U.S. District Court, E.D. Va. (primary)APReporters Committee for Freedom of the Press