January 14, 2026investigationpress freedomFirst Amendmentleak investigationsDOJ independencepress freedomrule of lawexecutive power
FBI Executes First-Ever Home Search Warrant on Journalist in National Security Case
On January 14, 2026, FBI agents searched Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's home, seizing her phone and laptops — the first DOJ search warrant at a journalist's home in a national security leak case. Attorney General Bondi had rescinded journalist protections nine months earlier; the warrant alleged Natanson held classified Venezuela intelligence leaked by Pentagon contractor Aurelio Perez-Lugones, indicted under the Espionage Act. A federal judge ruled for Natanson on May 4, 2026, barring the government from searching seized materials under the Privacy Protection Act.
Sources
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