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United States news agencies and press freedom groups have expressed concern after federal agents raided the home of a reporter for The Washington Post as part of a probe into the handling of classified material.<\/p>\n
Wednesday\u2019s raid focused on the residence of journalist Hannah Natanson, who has led the Post\u2019s coverage of efforts under President Donald Trump to slash the federal workforce.<\/p>\n list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized her work and personal laptops, as well as other electronics like her phone and a Garmin watch.<\/p>\n \u201cAccording to the government warrant, the raid was in connection with an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials. We are told Hannah, and the Post, are not a target,\u201d said Washington Post executive editor Matt Murray.<\/p>\n \u201cNonetheless, this extraordinary, aggressive action is deeply concerning and raises profound questions and concern around the constitutional protections for our work.\u201d<\/p>\n Free press organisations echoed the Post\u2019s concerns, arguing that the raid fit into a pattern of escalating pressure on journalists who report on information the government does not want made public.<\/p>\n Trump has frequently attacked the news media and threatened those he deems too critical with lawsuits and investigations.<\/p>\n Still, it is unusual for law enforcement to seize materials from a journalist, given the broad press freedom protections established under the US Constitution. Advocates warned that Wednesday\u2019s actions could dampen any efforts journalists may take to report on whistleblower complaints.<\/p>\n According to the Post, the search warrant was part of an investigation into leaks of classified materials, another one of Trump\u2019s pet peeves.<\/p>\n Prosecutors allege that a contractor named Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system engineer and information technology specialist, took screenshots of intelligence reports and printed them while working for a government contractor in Maryland.<\/p>\n Investigators also say they found classified documents in a lunchbox while searching his car and basement earlier this month.<\/p>\n The Trump administration accused Perez-Lugones of contacting Natanson to leak the information and said the search of her home came at the request of the Department of Defense.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Department of Justice and FBI executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist who was obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor,\u201d Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post<\/a>.<\/p>\n She added that \u201cthe leaker\u201d \u2013 an apparent reference to Perez-Lugones \u2013 had been arrested.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Trump Administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation\u2019s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n