‘Not Gonna Tolerate Leaks!’ Karoline Leavitt Defends Search of WaPo Reporter’s Home

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt justified on Thursday the FBI search of a Washington Post reporter’s home as part of a probe into the alleged mishandling of classified information, declaring, “the administration is not going to tolerate leaks.”

The FBI seized reporter Hannah Natanson’s phone, Garmin watch, and two laptops on Wednesday morning as part of an investigation into a government contractor who’s accused of illegally retaining classified materials. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed on X that the Pentagon contractor in question has been arrested

NBC News Senior White House Correspondent Gabe Gutierrez mentioned The Post’s reporting that Natanson was not the focus of the investigation before pressing Leavitt during Thursday’s press conference about the landmark 1971 Supreme Court decision on the Pentagon Papers.

“What is the administration’s position on the Pentagon Papers case of the 1970s that affirmed a reporter’s right to publish classified information under certain circumstances?” Gutierrez asked.

Leavitt began, “I can confirm what the attorney general stated and the president as well, which is that the individual, unfortunately, a contractor at the Pentagon, chose to unlawfully leak classified and very serious information to this Washington Post reporter.”

She continued:

Hence, why the reporter’s home was looked into by the FBI, and rightfully so. And the administration is not going to tolerate leaks, especially from within the national security apparatus of the United States government that put our nation’s integrity national security at risk. Full stop. The president will not support that.

I know the secretary of war will not support that and it will not stand. And legal action will be taken against anyone, whether it’s a member of the press or whether it’s an employee for a federal agency who breaks the law. If you break the law and if you endanger our men and women in uniform, you’re going to be held accountable, period.

Gutierrez asked again about the right to publish classified information under certain circumstances.

“We do not believe that individuals who have been given the privilege of holding a top-secret clearance should be illegally leaking that classified information, and I know the American people agree with that,” Leavitt said.

“And I think it’s a basic tenet of journalistic integrity not to publish information that could directly endanger the operational security or the brave men and women who are serving this country in uniform and putting themselves in her way to protect not just the people in this administration, but all of you in the press, and all of their fellow Americans, as well.”

Watch the clip above via Fox News.