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Natanson, known for covering the federal workforce and describing herself as “the federal government whisperer,” has authored reports critical of the Trump administration’s efforts to streamline Washington bureaucracy and reform the civil service.
Attorney General Pam Bondi also confirmed the operation Wednesday evening, calling the leak “a grave national security breach.”
“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 said. “The Trump administration will not tolerate illegal leaks of classified information that pose a grave risk to our national security and to the brave men and women serving our country.”
Officials said the raid was part of a broader effort to dismantle a network of insiders accused of stealing and transmitting sensitive defense information from Pentagon systems to members of the press.
The contractor at the center of the investigation has been identified as Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a 41-year-old Maryland-based systems administrator with top-secret clearance who worked for a government subcontractor in Annapolis Junction, a key hub for defense and intelligence operations.
According to a criminal complaint filed January 9, Perez-Lugones accessed restricted government databases to view classified intelligence tied to a foreign nation and illegally printed or photographed the information in October 2025. Investigators say he later reviewed more classified material in early January and took handwritten notes home on a yellow legal pad.
FBI Special Agent Keith Starr reported that a search of Perez-Lugones’ Laurel, Maryland, residence on January 8 uncovered “multiple documents marked SECRET. One or more of these documents are related to national defense,” according to the affidavit.
Perez-Lugones faces charges of unlawful retention of national defense information, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors are pressing for him to remain in custody, arguing he poses a continuing threat to national security.
“The defendant is charged with a serious national security violation,” prosecutors wrote in a January 13 filing. “Agents seized documents containing national defense information from the defendant’s car and home. However, the government cannot seize everything in his head.”
They continued, “Only detention would provide the government a way to monitor whether the defendant uses any of his knowledge to threaten national security.”
U.S. District Judge George Levi Russell III is expected to rule Thursday on whether Perez-Lugones will stay jailed pending trial. His defense attorneys have not commented.
The Washington Post confirmed the raid and seizure of equipment but said it is seeking further information from federal authorities. “We are deeply concerned whenever journalists are targeted by law enforcement for their reporting,” a spokesperson said.
The incident stands out as one of the most aggressive leak investigations in recent years, underscoring the Trump administration’s determination to hold those who mishandle classified material fully accountable.
U.S. District Judge George Levi Russell III does needs to keep Perez-Lugones jailed pending trial.
If the Judge releases Perez-Lugones, then U.S. District Judge George Levi Russell III either needs to RESIGN IMMEDIATELY OR GET FIRED IMMEDIATELY because he will prove he is a trader to the US and does not support the law! NO EXCEPTION!