The Department of Justice obtained a federal search warrant to seize Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson's phone, laptop, and Garmin smartwatch as part of a leak investigation, the Post disclosed today [1]. FBI agents executed the warrant at Natanson's home, collecting the three devices, though a federal judge subsequently rejected the DOJ's request to actually search their contents.

The warrant is tied to a December 24 article by Natanson that revealed details of a classified internal assessment, according to court filings reviewed by the Post [1]. The DOJ argued the devices likely contained evidence identifying the source of the leak. Natanson's attorneys and the Post's legal team challenged the search request, invoking journalist privilege protections.

Press freedom organizations condemned the seizure as a chilling escalation. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press called it "an extraordinary step that threatens the ability of journalists to protect confidential sources" [2]. The Committee noted that federal guidelines generally require the DOJ to exhaust all alternative investigative steps before targeting journalists' records.

The judge's refusal to authorize a search of the seized devices is a partial victory for the Post, but the precedent of physical seizure alone is significant. Legal experts said the mere act of taking a reporter's phone and laptop — even without searching them — sends a message to potential sources that their communications may not be safe.

The Post said it will continue to challenge the warrant in court.

-- ANNA WEBER, Berlin