Judge Temporarily Bars DOJ From Reviewing Seized Washington Post Reporter Devices in Pentagon Leak Probe
A magistrate judge in the Eastern District of Virginia ordered the government to preserve but not review electronics seized Jan. 14 from Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson — including work and personal phones, laptops, a recorder, portable hard drive and Garmin watch — after the paper filed for their immediate return and argued the search violated the First Amendment and threatened source confidentiality; a hearing is set for Feb. 6 and the government must file a response by Jan. 28. The search, conducted at the Pentagon’s request in an investigation of contractor Aurelio Perez‑Lugones (charged with unlawful retention of national‑defense information but not with leaking), has drawn objections from the Post and press‑freedom groups even as Attorney General Pam Bondi and administration officials defended the action.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- On Jan. 14 FBI agents executed a search warrant at Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s Virginia home and seized multiple work and personal devices, including a work cellphone, work laptop, personal laptop, a Garmin smartwatch, a recorder and a portable hard drive.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi and the DOJ said the search was requested by the Department of Defense and framed it as part of an effort to stop classified leaks; Bondi publicly asserted the leaker is “behind bars,” argued the action was justified by national‑security risks involving a foreign adversary, and the White House described the administration as having “zero tolerance” for leaks.
- The alleged source is Pentagon contractor Aurelio Perez‑Lugones, who is charged with unlawful retention of national defense information (but not charged with leaking or sharing it); authorities say a SECRET‑marked document was found in his lunchbox.
- The Washington Post filed emergency motions in federal court seeking immediate return of all seized devices, asking the court to bar the government from using the material and arguing the search violated the First Amendment and DOJ media‑guidance protections because the seized files include years of reporting and confidential‑source communications that cause irreparable harm.
- On Jan. 21 Magistrate Judge William Porter ordered the government to preserve but not review the materials seized from Natanson, set a hearing for Feb. 6 on the Post’s motion, and required the government to file its response by Jan. 28.
- Press‑freedom groups and media executives, including the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, called the search unprecedented and an alarming intrusion on independent journalism; the Reporters Committee has separately moved to unseal the affidavit underlying the FBI warrant.
- Justice Department policy changed under Attorney General Bondi: she has rescinded prior DOJ guidance intended to shield journalists in leak investigations and publicly asserted that DOJ has the right to retrieve classified information from reporters, even if they possess it unknowingly.
đź“Š Analysis & Commentary (1)
The sad and self-inflicted decline of the Washington Post, in one chart
"An opinion piece arguing that the Washington Post’s recent business and reputation slide — highlighted by a telling chart — is primarily the result of its own editorial and managerial choices, a dynamic that recent events like the DOJ seizure of a reporter’s devices have exposed and exacerbated."
đź“° Source Timeline (10)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 28, 2026
January 27, 2026
January 21, 2026
10:33 PM
Judge orders feds not to examine devices seized from WaPo reporter
New information:
- Magistrate Judge William Porter in the Eastern District of Virginia ordered the government to preserve but not review any materials seized from Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s home on Jan. 14.
- The order was issued Jan. 21 after the Post filed its first public motion demanding return of all devices and an immediate standstill, arguing a First Amendment violation and threat to source confidentiality.
- A hearing on the Post’s motion is set for Feb. 6, and the government must file its response by Jan. 28.
- The order explicitly covers Natanson’s work cellphone, work laptop, personal laptop, recorder, portable hard drive and Garmin watch.
- The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has separately moved to unseal the affidavit underlying the FBI search warrant.
6:45 PM
Washington Post seeks court order for government to return electronics seized from reporter's home
New information:
- The Washington Post has now filed motions in federal court in Virginia seeking an order requiring the government to immediately return all electronic devices seized from reporter Hannah Natanson.
- The Post is asking the court not only for the return of devices but also to bar the government from using any of the seized material, arguing the search violated the First Amendment and DOJ’s own media guidelines.
- The paper details that the seized material spans years of Natanson’s work on hundreds of stories and includes communications with confidential sources, which it says causes 'irreparable harm' each day the government retains it.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly characterizes Natanson as 'obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor,' even though the contractor, Aurelio Perez-Lugones, has not been charged with leaking.
January 15, 2026
1:34 PM
Pam Bondi defends seizing reporter's devices over alleged classified leaks involving foreign adversary
New information:
- Pam Bondi says she has rescinded prior DOJ guidance that shielded journalists from subpoenas and searches in leak cases.
- Bondi explicitly frames the Natanson search as authorized by her office and Kash Patel and justified by the risk that leaked classified material about a foreign adversary could jeopardize U.S. troops.
- She publicly asserts that if a reporter possesses classified information, even unknowingly, DOJ "has the right" to have it returned.
- The segment reinforces that Perez-Lugones is accused of printing and screenshotting a classified intelligence report related to a foreign country.
12:17 PM
FBI searches WaPo reporter's home. And, Trump restores $2B to public health funds
New information:
- NPR emphasizes that media executives view the Natanson home search as an 'alarming intrusion' into press freedom, adding high‑level reaction beyond the basic facts of the warrant.
- Former Washington Post executive editor Marty Baron is quoted saying the Trump administration shows a 'pattern' of trying to undermine an independent press and interfere with its work.
- NPR reiterates that the government has told the Post Natanson is not the focal point of the investigation, while noting her recent major story on a purge of hundreds of thousands of federal employees based on more than 1,000 sources.
6:42 AM
FBI searches a Washington Post reporter's home as part of investigation
New information:
- Confirms specific items seized: one phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch from Natanson’s Virginia home.
- Identifies the alleged leaker as Pentagon contractor system engineer Aurelio Perez-Lugones and notes he is charged with unlawful retention of national defense information but not with leaking or sharing it.
- Details that a classified document marked SECRET was found in Perez-Lugones’ lunchbox at his Maryland home or car.
- Reports that Attorney General Pam Bondi says the search was requested by the Defense Department and that Natanson was 'obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information' from the contractor.
- Quotes White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying Trump has 'zero tolerance' for leaks and will 'aggressively crack down,' framing the search in the administration’s own words.
- Includes on‑the‑record alarm from Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press president Bruce Brown calling the search a 'tremendous escalation' of intrusions into press independence.
January 14, 2026
11:30 PM
FBI searches reporter's home, raising concerns about intimidation of free press
New information:
- Reporter identified as Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson, who has been covering President Trump’s overhaul and downsizing of the federal government.
- FBI agents executed a search warrant at Natanson’s home and seized her work and home computers, phones, and a smartwatch, while telling her she is not the target of the investigation.
- Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly claimed on X that the Pentagon requested the search because Natanson was 'obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor,' even though the criminal complaint against the contractor does not mention her.
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press says it is unaware of any previous case where DOJ executed a search warrant on a reporter’s home in a national‑security leak case, calling the move unprecedented and questioning why such an intrusive step was needed when DOJ already has the alleged leaker charged and in custody.
- Historical comparison to the 2010 James Rosen email‑warrant case and explanation that subsequent DOJ reforms were supposed to discourage exactly this kind of sweeping seizure of reporters’ materials.
4:14 PM
FBI searches home of Washington Post journalist for classified documents
New information:
- Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly confirmed the search and said it was executed at the Pentagon’s request.
- Bondi stated that 'the leaker is currently behind bars' and framed the action as part of the administration’s broader crackdown on illegal leaks.
- The article details allegations that contractor Aurelio Perez-Lugones accessed at least two classified reports, printed one, took notes on another, and kept multiple 'secret' documents at home and in his lunchbox.