“The leaker has been found, and is in jail right now. And that’s the leaker on Venezuela — a very bad leaker.”
President Trump dropped that bombshell during a bill signing ceremony Wednesday, confirming that someone who allegedly leaked classified information about U.S. operations in Venezuela is now behind bars.
And he’s not done looking.
“There could be some others,” Trump added. His administration is investigating.
The Pentagon Contractor
Attorney General Pam Bondi filled in some details on X.
“This past week, the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at the home of a Washington Post journalist.”
The journalist — Hannah Natanson — was accused of “obtaining and reporting classified and illegally leaked information from a Pentagon contractor.”
Natanson isn’t accused of wrongdoing. She’s not the focus of the probe.
The focus: Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator in Maryland who allegedly accessed and took home classified intelligence reports. They were found in his lunch box.
His lunch box.
“Will Probably Be in Jail for a Long Time”
Trump wasn’t subtle about the expected consequences.
“The leaker has been found and the leaker is in jail, and will probably be in jail for a long time.”
Leaking classified information about military operations is a serious federal crime. If Perez-Lugones took home classified intelligence reports about Venezuela — an active military operation that resulted in capturing Nicolás Maduro — he’s facing significant prison time.
And Trump’s tone suggested he’ll push for maximum penalties.
The Washington Post Angle
The FBI raid on a Washington Post reporter’s home has predictably generated media outrage.
Marty Baron, the Post’s former executive editor, called it “a clear and appalling sign that this administration will set no limits on its acts of aggression against an independent press.”
But here’s what Baron conveniently omitted: the reporter isn’t accused of anything. The search warrant targeted evidence related to the contractor who allegedly stole classified materials.
When someone leaks classified information to a journalist, investigators sometimes need to search for that evidence. That’s not “aggression against the press.” That’s investigating crimes.
Classified Information About Active Operations
This matters because of what was allegedly leaked.
Venezuela wasn’t a historical operation being discussed years later. It was an active military effort to capture a hostile dictator.
Leaking classified information about troop movements, operational plans, or intelligence capabilities could have gotten American servicemembers killed. It could have allowed Maduro to escape. It could have compromised sources and methods.
The leaker wasn’t a “whistleblower” exposing wrongdoing. He was allegedly stealing intelligence reports and passing them to journalists while an operation was underway.
“There Could Be Some Others”
Trump’s warning should concern anyone else who’s been leaking.
“There could be some others” under investigation suggests the administration is actively hunting for additional leakers. The Perez-Lugones arrest might be the first, not the last.
The intelligence community has been notoriously leaky, especially regarding Trump. Anonymous sources. Classified information appearing in news stories. Ongoing operations compromised for political purposes.
Trump seems determined to change that culture. Finding leakers. Prosecuting them. Putting them in jail “for a long time.”
The Press Freedom Question
Media organizations will frame this as an attack on journalism. They always do.
But there’s a distinction between protecting sources who expose genuine wrongdoing and protecting people who steal classified military intelligence during active operations.
The First Amendment doesn’t give journalists the right to receive stolen classified documents without consequence. It doesn’t immunize government employees who violate their security clearances. It doesn’t turn espionage into protected speech because a newspaper publishes the results.
Perez-Lugones allegedly took classified documents home in his lunch box. That’s not journalism. That’s theft of government secrets.
Lunch Box Security
The detail about finding classified materials in the contractor’s lunch box is almost comical.
This is the state of security at defense contractors. Someone walks out with intelligence reports in their sandwich container, passes them to reporters, and compromises military operations.
The sloppiness is staggering. The arrogance is worse — apparently believing that stealing classified documents wouldn’t be investigated or punished.
Trump is demonstrating otherwise.
The Venezuela Success
The leak investigation comes after the successful capture of Maduro — one of Trump’s biggest foreign policy wins.
The operation was clean, quick, and effective. Venezuelans celebrated in the streets. A dictator who’d brutalized his country for years was removed.
Someone allegedly tried to compromise that operation by leaking classified information. They failed. Now they’re in jail.
That’s the message Trump wants to send: leaking won’t stop operations, but it will result in prosecution.
More to Come
Trump’s hint about “others” under investigation suggests this is the beginning, not the end.
The administration appears to be systematically hunting for leakers across the government. Pentagon contractors. Intelligence agencies. Anyone with access to classified information who might be passing it to journalists.
After years of consequence-free leaking, the rules are changing.
“The leaker is in jail, and will probably be in jail for a long time.”
Others might want to reconsider their choices.