Federal prosecutors on Thursday charged a government contractor with unlawfully sharing classified information with a Washington Post reporter, expanding the criminal case brought against him earlier this month for allegedly mishandling the information. Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson’s devices were seized in a pre-dawn FBI raid on January 14 pursuant to a warrant related to the investigation into Perez-Lugones. The new charges represent the first time the Justice Department in Perez-Lugones’ case has publicly formally tied his conduct to Natanson’s reporting. Top Trump administration leadership has said publicly that Perez-Lugones allegedly leaking to the Washington Post put national security at risk. A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Justice Department from examining Natanson’s phone and computers for the time being.

Source: Washington Post January 24, 2026 00:23 UTC