FBI Director Kash Patel shared a bizarrely worded post that the bureau searched the home of a reporter while bragging about the arrest of a government contractor accused of leaking classified material.
The FBI showed up early on Wednesday at the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, where agents seized devices, including her phone, along with her work and personal laptops.
Hours later, Patel touted the arrest of the government contractor but also indicated the investigation was ongoing as First Amendment experts warned about the administration’s escalating intrusion on the freedom of the press.
“The government contractor alleged to have illegally retained and leaked classified, sensitive military op information to a reporter has been arrested,” Patel wrote on X. “Investigation ongoing.”
The government contractor alleged to have illegally retained and leaked classified, sensitive military op information to a reporter has been arrested. Investigation ongoing. Compromising the safety of our war fighters and America’s national security will be met with the full… pic.twitter.com/bY4TmsziPq
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) January 14, 2026
The close Trump ally turned top law enforcement official also wrote, “Compromising the safety of our war fighters and America’s national security will be met with the full weight of justice.”
His post included a screen grab of the Fox News headline, “Washington Post reporter’s home searched by FBI.” Patel has a history of rushing to social media to post on active investigations.
Attorney General Pam Bondi shared early on Wednesday that the search of the reporter’s home was done at the request of the Defense Department.
“This past week, at the request of the Department of War, the 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,” Bondi wrote. “The leaker is currently behind bars. I am proud to work alongside Secretary Hegseth on this effort.”
Bondi claimed the administration would “not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that, when reported, pose a grave risk to our Nation’s national security and the brave men and women who are serving our country.”
Hegseth also chimed in by reposting the attorney general’s X post with “Great work” and thanked her for “having the back of our warfighters.”
Ironically, the defense secretary himself was found by an inspector general last year to have risked the safety of service members when he shared information about strikes in Yemen in a Signal chat that included a reporter for The Atlantic.
Natanson has been described as the “federal government whisperer,” reporting on the federal workforce during the second Trump administration.
She was at her home in Alexandria, Virginia, at the time of the raid. She was reportedly told she was not the focus of the investigation, which was looking into a “government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified government materials,” The Washington Post reported.
It reported that the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper also received a subpoena Wednesday morning for info related to that contractor and was asked to turn over communications between the person and Post employees.
The Post’s Executive Editor Matt Murray said in an email to employees that the search was “deeply concerning and raises profound questions and concerns around the constitutional protections for our work.”
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