This DOJ has gone to every length possible to destroy Trump’s reputation.
Special counsel Jack Smith was actively seeking access to various records related to former President Trump’s social media activities. This includes his direct messages, draft tweets, and location data from his account on X, formerly known as Twitter. The pursuit of these records was part of an ongoing effort by Smith’s office to gather information about Trump’s online presence.
According to The Hill, recently unsealed court documents shed light on the specifics of the prosecutors’ demands for records tied to Trump’s Twitter account. The request for these records was made in January and was subsequently approved by the court. The information comes from hearings held in February before then-U.S. District Court Chief Judge Beryl Howell. During these hearings, Judge Howell questioned whether the resistance shown by the company was linked to the new CEO Elon Musk’s potential efforts to establish a favorable relationship with Trump.
Twitter’s reluctance to provide the requested information was influenced by a Justice Department directive to keep the request confidential from Trump. Initially, the company declined to comply with the court’s order to hand over the records, a decision that came with a financial penalty of $350,000.
Apart from concerns about the Justice Department’s request, Twitter also expressed apprehension that some of Trump’s direct messages might be protected by executive privilege, particularly if they pertained to official state matters and communications with other government officials.
The court records reveal the breadth of the information Jack Smith was seeking. This encompassed not only direct messages and draft tweets but also extended to deleted tweets and account-related search history. Interestingly, much of the information pursued during the investigation doesn’t appear to have been directly referenced in the subsequent indictment, which focused primarily on Trump’s publicly available tweets.
Disagreements between the involved parties revolved around the level of evidence prosecutors used to support their request for a warrant to access the account. Twitter contended that the investigation’s details didn’t need to be concealed from Trump given the public nature of the inquiry.
Throughout the transcripts, Judge Howell’s frustration with Twitter’s reluctance is evident. DOJ attorney Thomas Windom expressed his frustration as well, citing difficulties in obtaining the needed materials. Windom emphasized the urgency of the situation and the necessity of the requested records for the ongoing investigation.
Twitter opted to challenge Judge Howell’s ruling, but the appeal was denied by an appellate court. The court upheld Howell’s decision to withhold certain search details from Trump due to concerns that disclosure could compromise the ongoing investigation.
Trump himself responded to the search of his Twitter account, vehemently criticizing the actions of the prosecutors. He accused Special Counsel Jack Smith of unauthorized access to his account and lambasted the attempt to keep him uninformed about the situation. Trump’s frustration was evident in his social media posts on Truth Social, where he questioned the necessity of the investigation and its potential findings.