The FBI on Wednesday (January 14, 2026) searched the home of a Washington Post journalist who has written about U.S. federal job cuts, in a move the newspaper described as “highly unusual and aggressive.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the search was part of an investigation into an alleged leak from the Pentagon, which has introduced new restrictive media policies under President Donald Trump.
Ms. Bondi said the journalist “was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor” and that the search warrant was executed after a request from the Defence Department.
Journalists turn in access badges, exit Pentagon rather than agree to new reporting rules
The Post named the reporter as Hannah Natanson and said federal agents seized a work laptop, a personal laptop, her phone and a watch from her home in Virginia, outside Washington.
