The Washington Post has demanded that items seized from the home of a reporter by the FBI last week be returned.
In an article posted to the outlet’s website Wednesday, the news organization reported they had filed to compel the government to return the items, which included a phone, two laptops and a Garmin watch.
The filing argued the search “flouts the First Amendment and ignores federal statutory safeguards for journalists,” and noted that “irreparable harm” had been done.
FBI agents searched the home of reporter Hannah Natanson last week as part of a leak investigation involving a Pentagon contractor accused of mishandling classified national defense information, according to the Justice Department (DOJ).
Natanson has closely covered President Donald Trump’s remaking of the federal government and the civil service. She has written extensively about the federal workforce and recently drew attention inside the newsroom for cultivating hundreds of new sources, prompting a colleague to describe her as “the federal government whisperer.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates to come.
