America has been calling itself the biggest flag bearer of press freedom in the world. But this week, when the FBI raided the house of a Washington Post journalist, the same question started echoing – where has the freedom of the press gone? The matter pertains to an alleged leak related to the Pentagon. The FBI and the Justice Department searched the Washington Post journalist’s home under a search warrant, seizing his phones and computers. The government claims that the journalist was obtaining confidential information from a Pentagon contractor and was reporting on it. The contractor has been arrested and is currently in jail.

The strangest thing is that Attorney General Pamela Bondi wrote a post on social media platform X regarding this action. In this post he not only confirmed the raid but also openly presented it as a major achievement of the government. Bondi wrote that she was proud of this “effort” with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and that the Trump administration would not tolerate any leaks that would threaten national security. This is the line on which questions are being raised as to what is being celebrated. Has raiding a journalist’s house, confiscating his personal devices and putting him in an environment of fear now become a matter of pride for the Trump government?

Which journalist’s house was raided?

The Washington Post has identified the journalist as Hannah Natanson. Natanson was reporting on federal employee layoffs, buyouts and major changes in government structure during the Trump administration. According to the newspaper, Natanson was present when FBI agents arrived at her Virginia home on Wednesday. During the search, agents took away his mobile phone, office and personal laptop, as well as a smart watch. However, Natanson was told that he was not the main target of this investigation.

Who was accused of leak?

The center of investigation in this case is a person named Aurelio Perez Lugones, who is a system administrator living in Maryland and who had Top Secret Security Clearance. According to an FBI affidavit, Perez Lugones had been working on contract for the government since 2002 and had accessed and printed classified intelligence reports. According to court filings, when agents searched Perez Lugones’ car, they found classified documents inside a lunch box. However, direct evidence of giving or leaking these documents to someone else has not yet emerged. Perez Lugones has been accused of illegally possessing information related to national security. He is to be presented in court on Thursday.

Questions raised on freedom of press

After this action, organizations related to freedom of press and supporters of freedom of expression have expressed concern. Jameel Jafar, executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, said that any search action against a journalist is a very sensitive matter and a thorough investigation is necessary. According to him, such actions can intimidate journalists and harm the reporting that is essential for democracy.