Washington

Judge scolds prosecutors in hearing on search of Washington Post reporter’s home

Published

2 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Judge scolds prosecutors in hearing on search of Washington Post reporter’s home

Perry Stein
| The Washington Post

A federal judge in Virginia scolded Justice Department attorneys on Friday for not mentioning the 1980 Privacy Protection Act when they submitted their application for a warrant to search a Washington Post reporter’s home and seize her devices.

The Privacy Protection Act limits the government’s ability to search and seize journalists’ materials.

“Did you not tell me intentionally or did you not know,” Magistrate Judge William Porter asked.

The testy exchange unfolded in the middle of a hearing to determine whether the government should be permitted to search through the devices seized from Post reporter Hannah Natanson – or whether the government must return those devices to Natanson without an extensive search.

The judge appeared inclined to find a middle ground that would allow the court to do a search of the devices on behalf of the government – and then hand information relevant to the search warrant over to prosecutors. This would prevent the government from having potentially unfettered access to Natanson’s devices, which The Post said the reporter has used to communicate with roughly 1,200 confidential sources.

“I have a pretty good sense of what I’m going to do here,” Porter said, adding that he wanted to spend some more time thoroughly considering his options before making a ruling. He scheduled another hearing for March 4 and said he expects to issue his ruling before then.

Friday’s hearing marked the first time that prosecutors and attorneys for The Post have met in court since the unprecedented Jan. 14 search of Natanson’s home in Virginia. Federal agents seized a phone, two laptops, a recorder, a portable hard drive and a Garmin watch. Law enforcement officials said the search was part of their investigation into government contractor Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a systems administrator with top secret clearance who was indicted in Maryland last month on charges of unlawfully obtaining and sharing classified materials.

The discussion of the Privacy Protection Act reflected the tense moment of the nearly hour-long hearing in the Alexandria, Virginia, federal courthouse. Porter said he was particularly frustrated because he had spent two days going back and forth with the government in January before he approved the warrant. He said he rejected multiple versions of the warrant requests before settling on a relatively narrow warrant to seize information on Natanson’s devices pertaining to her communications with the government contractor.

The 1980 act is intended to prevent the criminalization of a reporter gathering information. It says that a journalist’s materials should be seized only if that journalist is suspected of committing a crime with those materials. The law says that a reporter’s possessions can be seized if investigators suspect they contain certain materials related to sensitive national security information.

Justice Department trial attorney Christian Dibblee apologized to the judge and said he could not answer the questions about why the government had not discussed that law because he was not involved in the submission of the warrant. Another prosecutor who submitted the warrant – Gordon Kromberg, a veteran attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia – chimed in and said he did not mention the law because he does not believe it applied to the case.

Porter suggested that whether or not the law applied in this instance, prosecutors should have included it in the application so that the judge could determine its relevance.

“That’s minimizing it,” Porter told the government trial attorney when he said he understood the judge’s frustration.

It is exceptionally rare for law enforcement officials to search reporters’ homes to further cases in which the journalist is not a target. The law allows such searches under some circumstances, but federal regulations intended to protect a free press are designed to make it more difficult to use aggressive law enforcement tactics against reporters to obtain the identities of their sources.

The Post and Natanson’s attorneys have decried the search as one that “flouts the First Amendment and ignores federal statutory safeguards for journalists.” They have demanded that the government return the devices so Natanson can continue reporting and said that “almost none” of the materials on the devices are relevant to the case against the contractor.

Attorneys for The Post and Natanson argued in court that the seizures have prevented Natanson from doing her job because she cannot publish material without her devices and sources. They also said that the government’s seizure could have a chilling effect on future government sources who may want to speak out about their workplaces to reporters.

“It is not about one reporter and one journalist – it has to do with confidential sources,” an attorney for The Post, Simon Latcovich, told the judge.

The Justice Department attorneys conceded that they seized more materials from Natanson than is relevant to the search warrant. But they said that’s a standard reality in such searches. The government planned to set up a filter team to sift through the materials and then hand over only relevant information to the investigators, the prosecutors said.

“The government takes seriously that you did not authorize a fishing expedition,” Dibblee told Porter.

Perez-Lugones pleaded not guilty last month to counts of retaining and sharing sensitive national security information. The Justice Department has said that Perez-Lugones had been messaging Natanson shortly before his arrest.

Natanson covers the federal workforce and has been part of The Post’s most high-profile and sensitive coverage related to government firings, national security and diplomacy during the first year of the second Trump administration. She contributed reporting to a number of recent articles around the United States’ capture of Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.

In December, Natanson wrote a first-person account about her experience covering the federal workforce as the Trump administration created upheaval across the government. She detailed how she posted her secure phone number to an online forum for government workers and amassed more than 1,000 sources, with federal workers frequently contacting her to share frustrations and accounts from their offices.

Natanson wrote in a declaration to the court last month that she typically receives anywhere from dozens to upward of 100 tips from sources per day on Signal. Since the seizure, the number of tips has fallen to zero.

Prosecutors also served The Post with a subpoena seeking information related to the same government contractor. The subpoena asked The Post to hand over any communications between the contractor and other employees.

Porter said at the hearing that he took issue with the framing of the search as unprecedented because it was executed at a journalist’s home. He noted that Natanson wrote in her first-person essay that she often works from home, which would make it a logical place to execute a search warrant.

“I think that’s an inflammatory fact,” Porter said.

Attorneys for The Post and Natanson repeatedly suggested that the government’s search was an overreach because agents seized all of her devices, which comprised the entirety of her reporting materials. Porter asked multiple times whether there was an alternative way the government could have conducted its search since the materials are stored together on electronic devices – and not, for example, on individual pages or notebooks.

“I still haven’t heard some alternative way that you think this could have been done,” Porter said to the attorneys.

Jeremy Roebuck contributed to this report.

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Washington

Commanders 2026 Mock Draft Madness 5.0

Published

5 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The views and opinions expressed in this article do not reflect the opinion of the team.

In anticipation of the 2026 NFL Draft, which will be held April 23 – 25 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, here’s a compilation of various league experts’ predictions about what the Washington Commanders will do with the No. 7 overall pick. Check back weekly until the draft for more updates.

Expert: Nate Davis, USA Today

Selection: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (March 2)

Analysis: Is he the best defender in this draft? Arguably. Can he play exceptionally in the slot, box or center field? Yep. And Washington could need a leader who can make plays behind the line given the potential departure of LB Bobby Wagner, who will be 36 next season, in free agency.

Expert: Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report

Selection: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (March 2)

Analysis: At Miami last season, he was easily one of the top two or three players in all of college football. He has explosive power and quickness to work up and down the line of scrimmage. His play is everything a team wants in a high first-round selection.

Expert: Jordan Reid, ESPN

Selection: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State (March 3)

Analysis: Downs is one of the smartest football players I’ve ever studied. His football IQ, versatility on the back end and sure tackling ability make him a worthy selection at this spot even though a safety hasn’t been drafted in the top 10 since 2017 (Jamal Adams). Washington gave up a lot of explosive passing plays last season, with opponents averaging 8.1 yards per attempt (third worst in the NFL). The Commanders also had a mere eight interceptions in 2025, which was the fourth worst in the league. Downs could help them improve in both areas.

Expert: Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

Selection: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (March 2)

Analysis: This pick would fade the historical norm for edge defenders with shorter arms, but Bain can rush the passer and is a block destructor against the run. Just a damn-good football player.

Expert: Jaime Eisner, The Draft Network

Selection: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State (March 2)

Analysis: Sonny Styles is the kind of dynamic player the Commanders desperately need on the second level. He offers a rare combination of energy, versatility, and pass-rush ability. The fact that he’s already excelled as the green dot for Ohio State proves he has the leadership and high football IQ to be an instant starter and the commander of the Washington defense. Styles wowed with his measurables and athleticism at the NFL Combine.

Expert: Nate Tice and Charles McDonald

Selection: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech (March 2)

Analysis: As tempting as it will be to add an offensive player of some kind here, with tasty options at offensive line, wide receiver, tight end and running back, the Commanders instead add firepower to a defense that has to get faster, younger and just straight up better. Bailey is an explosive pass rusher who is constantly attacking offensive tackles. He will never be a strong run defender, but he has long arms (measured at 33 ¾ inches at the combine) and has improved in that area. Bailey is the exact type of talent injection this defense needs.

Expert: Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports

Selection: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State (March 2)

Analysis: Could Reese fall to No. 7? It seems like a long shot, but if the Bills trade up for a WR, things can get interesting quickly. This is a best-case scenario for the Commanders, who have to upgrade their pass rush.

Expert: Trevor Sikkema, Pro Football Focus

Selection: Rueben Bain, EDGE, Miami (March 2)

Analysis: Bain measured in with short arms (sub-31 inches), but we already knew that would happen. That doesn’t change his tape or the fact that he is one of the top three-down defensive linemen in the class. He would immediately be the biggest difference maker on the Commanders’ defensive line after racking up the most pressures (83) in college football this past season.

Expert: Henry McKenna, FOX Sports

Selection: Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio State (Feb. 26)

Analysis: Dan Quinn was in Dallas when the Cowboys had the inspired idea to convert Micah Parsons into a pass-rusher. Can Quinn do it again with Reese?

Expert: Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

Selection: David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech (March 2)

Analysis: The Commanders should be prepared to jump on Bailey should he fall here after his freakish athletic profile was on display at the Combine. Dan Quinn needs this level of dynamic pass rusher who also has rare dropback coverage skills outside.

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Washington

Tulip Day Washington draws buzz as sign-up site goes down

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

WASHINGTON – Coming up this month, spring’s most colorful new event: Tulip Day Washington.

What we know:

On March 15, 2026, Tulip Day Washington will transform DC’s National Mall into a vibrant tulip-picking garden beautiful views of U.S. Capitol

This one-day event will take place from 11:15 AM – 4:15 PM, offering a floral showcase of approximately 150,000 tulips; visitors are invited to pick their choice of 10 tulips for free upon arrival.

Dig deeper:

The registration site for Tulip Day is currently down, showing users “This site is currently unavailable. If you’re the owner of this website, please contact your hosting provider to get this resolved.”

Users on social media say the event may be sold out.

Check tulipday.eu for updates.

The backstory:

The event is organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands and Royal Anthos, a Dutch trade association, in honor of America’s 250th birthday. The display of tulips will be in the shape of the number 250.

The bulbs come from the Netherlands, but are being grown in Virginia and New Jersey.

These won’t be the first tulips on the National Mall, however. The Floral Library, also known as the Tulip Library, features 93 beds of flowers near the Tidal Basin. The Floral Library was established in 1969, and is maintained by the National Park Services. These flowers, though, are to be enjoyed only – not to be picked.

Things To Do in the DMVNewsWashington, D.C.

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Washington

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

Published

2 days ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

PHOTOS: Long Beach State Dirtbags vs. Washington State, Baseball

The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more.

Long Beach State dropped a 9-7 decision against Washington State on Sunday afternoon, closing out a busy weekend on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

The visiting Cougars took the lead for good in the eighth inning when Long Beach Poly grad Ryan Skjonsby delivered a game-winning two-run single with two outs and the bases loaded. Skjonsby was 2-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and three RBIs for Washington State in their road victory.

For the Dirtbags, catcher Damon Valdez scored twice and had a key two-run single in the sixth to help lead a Long Beach comeback. Trevor Goldenetz had a pair of hits at the top of the order, including an RBI triple. Camden Gasser walked twice and singled, improving his on-base percentage to .574 on the season.

Long Beach State (4-7) will be back in action at home on Tuesday with an exhibition match against Waseda University from Japan. The Dirtbags will then visit San Diego State on Wednesday and open Big West play at UC Santa Barbara this weekend.