“Searches of newsrooms and journalists are hallmarks of illiberal regimes, and we must ensure that these practices are not normalized here.”
FBI agents raided Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s Virginia home on January 14, seizing her phone, two computers, and Garmin watch. The Justice Department claims the search relates to a Pentagon contractor charged under the Espionage Act, not Natanson herself. This is the first time DOJ has executed a search warrant at a journalist’s home in a national security leak case. A federal judge has since blocked the government from reviewing the seized devices.