Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained a search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account in January 2023, according to court documents made public on Wednesday. Those same files further reveal that Twitter fought the warrant for nearly two weeks, incurring a $350,000 fine in the process.
According to the documents, the warrant was issued as a part of Smith’s series of ongoing investigations into the former president. The special counsel produced two separate indictments against Trump in the last year alone: one for alleged mishandling of classified documents and another for his actions following the 2020 election. In the pursuit of the latter indictment, Smith’s team obtained a court order for Twitter, rebranded as X last month, to turn over all “data and records” pertaining to the @realDonaldTrump account.
“The district court found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses,” read the ruling presented to the social media site. The court also issued an accompanying nondisclosure order, prohibiting Twitter staff from notifying Trump or his defense team, claiming “there were ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ that disclosing the warrant to former President Trump ‘would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation’ by giving him ‘an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior . . . or notify confederates.”
Twitter appealed the order, issued January 27, 2023, arguing that the nondisclosure violated the First Amendment. However, and three-judge panel overruled the objection and issued a $350,000 sanction against the company. Twitter eventually gave in to the court’s demands and turned over the requested data on February 9.
Trump was indicted and arraigned last week for his actions on January 6, 2021, as well as his efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Upon learning of the warrant on Wednesday, and infuriated Trump took to Truth Social to call out Smith and the Biden administration.
Donald Trump has pled not guilty to all charges brought against him.
The court documents discussing the warrant can be read below in their entirety:
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