A recent US appeals court opinion revealed that the special counsel investigating former President, Donald Trump secured a search warrant for his Twitter account back in January, and the social media giant, now known as X, delayed its compliance.
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the federal trial judge’s decision to hold Twitter in contempt and impose a $350,000 fine.
The court ruling addressed Twitter’s concerns about a nondisclosure order linked to the warrant.
Twitter had sought to inform Trump about the search warrant, citing First Amendment considerations.
The ruling emphasized that the court’s decision to hold Twitter in contempt and levy the fine was justified under the circumstances.
In response, Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social to express his views on the situation.
He claimed that the Justice Department had “secretly attacked my Twitter account” and criticized the lack of notification regarding the alleged infringement on his civil rights.
Prosecutors often request that targets of subpoenas issued in criminal investigations remain uninformed to safeguard the integrity of ongoing probes. T
his practice was cited by the appeals court as a reason for non-disclosure in their ruling.
The specific judge who held Twitter in contempt was not disclosed in the opinion.
While Trump’s tweets are publicly accessible, the social media platform holds non-public information such as direct messages, tweet drafts, location data, and device usage details.
The search warrant in question was linked to an investigation into events surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Trump during his presidency.
Notably, Trump recently pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
