Special Counsel Obtains Search Warrant for Trump’s Twitter Account
The special counsel investigating Donald Trump has obtained a search warrant for the former president’s Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, according to a recently declassified court filing. The search warrant was conducted secretly, with Twitter initially prohibited from informing Trump about the warrant. As a result, the company, now known as X, was fined $350,000 for delaying the submission of the requested records.
The search warrant, requested by special counsel Jack Smith, sought “data and records related” to Trump’s Twitter account. Twitter eventually turned over the records, according to the filing made public in the US Circuit Court of Appeals.
The dispute over whether to inform Trump about the search warrant lasted for several months. The Washington Circuit Court of Appeals revealed a decision confirming the district court’s handling of the issue, which included imposing sanctions on Twitter for missing a deadline to submit the information. The district court deemed that informing Trump about the warrant could seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him the opportunity to destroy evidence or notify accomplices.
Additionally, the court concluded that the non-disclosure order was necessary because it found reason to believe that the former president would “flee prosecution,” although the government later acknowledged that this basis was included erroneously in its application.
Twitter, now referred to as X, did not object to turning over the records, but argued that the ban on informing Trump of the search warrant violated the First Amendment and the Stored Communications Law. They claimed that this law determines how third-party internet platforms can be forced to deliver user records.
During the litigation, the non-disclosure order was amended to allow Twitter to notify Trump of the existence and content of the order, while withholding information about the case agent.
The court battle between the special prosecutor’s office and the major technology company unfolded in secret for months. The appeal judgment, issued in July and now made public, reveals the difficulties the special counsel’s office faced when trying to serve Twitter with the search and confidentiality warrants.
This revelation sheds light on a previously undisclosed legal battle and emphasizes the significance of Trump’s Twitter account in the investigation. With the search warrant now obtained and records turned over, it remains to be seen how this new development will impact the ongoing criminal case against the former president.