Updated Aug 9, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Special counsel served Twitter search warrant for Trump account

X, formerly known as Twitter, is being held in contempt by a federal judge for a delay in compliance with a search warrant of former President Trump's account requested by special counsel Jack Smith.

Driving the news: The social media giant was also ordered to pay a $350,000 fine, newly unsealed court filings show.

The existence of the warrant, which was obtained by Smith's team in January, was not previously known to the public.

Zoom in: In the warrant, the government requested "data and records related to the '@realDonaldTrump'" Twitter account.

The company ultimately complied with the warrant but did not do so until three days after a court-ordered deadline.
The warrant was served along with a nondisclosure order that prohibited the company from sharing its existence or contents.
Twitter initially delayed producing the requested content while it unsuccessfully litigated objections to the nondisclosure order, per court records.

The big picture: The special counsel is investigating Trump's efforts to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 election.

A federal grand jury indicted the former president last week for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump pleaded not guilty last week to four charges, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.