FBI Raid on WaPo Reporter’s Home Was Based on Sham Pretext

FBI Raid on WaPo Reporter’s Home Was Based on Sham Pretext

The Intercept nation

Key Points:

  • The FBI raided Washington Post journalist Hannah Natanson’s home as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified information, marking a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s crackdown on press freedom.
  • This raid follows Attorney General Pam Bondi’s reversal of Biden-era media protections, which previously shielded journalists from having their records searched during leak investigations; Bondi’s decision was based on unsubstantiated claims linked to reporting on Venezuela that undermined the administration’s narrative.
  • A Freedom of Information Act request revealed that the intelligence community memo cited by Bondi was declassified and posed no threat to national security, exposing Bondi’s justification for weakening media protections as false and politically motivated.
  • Press freedom advocates warn that the Trump administration