Washington Post journalist’s home raided by FBI
Katherine Jacobsen, North America coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the crackdown should disturb all Americans because the United States is at a “critical juncture” at a time when the Trump administration is eroding civil liberties.
“The use of the American taxpayer-funded FBI to seize a reporter’s electronic devices, including his official laptop from work, is a clear violation of journalistic protections and undermines the public’s right to know,” he said.
FBI director Kash Patel.Credit: access point
“Without assurance that journalists can protect their reporting materials, accountability journalism will suffer a major setback, eroding yet another mechanism for government accountability.”
CNN reported that the raid was carried out at the request of the Pentagon and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Bondi and Hegseth appeared to confirm this in their social media posts; Bondi said she was “proud to work with Secretary Hegseth on this effort.” Hegseth thanked Bondi “for having our warriors’ backs.”
Hegseth was embroiled in controversy last year when he shared sensitive military operational information in a Signal group chat; Unbeknownst to him, this information included a high-profile journalist, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief. Atlantic.
In a highly unusual and aggressive move, the FBI raided the home of a Washington Post journalist.Credit: access point
The Pentagon’s watchdog later found that Hegseth had put personnel lives at risk and violated policy.
Hegseth also presided over a new Pentagon media policy that led nearly all Pentagon-based media outlets to pull their reporters from the building. They were replaced by Trump-supporting podcasters and activists.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the FBI investigation and the raid Wednesday morning.
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“Leaking classified information puts America’s national security and the safety of our military heroes in serious jeopardy,” he said.
“President Trump has zero tolerance for this and will continue to aggressively crack down on these illegal actions moving forward.”
Natanson has been contacted for comment. Last month, she gave a first-hand account of her year as the “federal government whisperer,” getting tips from nearly 1,200 government employees about how their workplaces or roles were being upended by the Trump administration.
