Newly unsealed court papers have provided more insight into the investigation of former President Donald J. Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. Federal prosecutors obtained 32 private messages from his Twitter account through a search warrant earlier this year. The content of these messages has not been disclosed. These 32 messages were only a small fraction of the data that Twitter was required to turn over under the terms of the warrant.
The court papers also revealed that prosecutors were interested in determining whether Mr. Trump had been logging into other accounts from the same internet address he used for his Twitter account. It remains unclear whether this was a routine step or if investigators had a specific reason for this inquiry.
The documents, unsealed at the request of various news media organizations, offer a deeper understanding of the legal battle between Twitter and the Justice Department. The dispute centered around finding a balance between protecting a sensitive investigation and the social media company’s desire for transparency.
The papers detailed Mr. Trump’s attempts to obstruct federal inquiries, which were used by prosecutors to obtain permission from a judge not to inform the former president about the search warrant for months. The court papers also mentioned Mr. Trump’s repeated disparagement of the special counsel on his own social media platform, Truth Social. This prompted Judge Tanya S. Chutkan to caution Mr. Trump about making threatening statements online.
Additionally, the papers suggested that Mr. Trump’s practice of using his fund-raising entity, Save America PAC, to pay the legal fees of individuals involved in investigations against him was viewed by prosecutors as obstruction of justice.
The newly disclosed materials included transcripts of court hearings and rulings, as well as a fine imposed on Twitter for delaying compliance with the search warrant. The court transcripts showed Judge Beryl A. Howell’s skepticism towards Twitter’s arguments for delaying compliance and avoiding fines.
It should be noted that Twitter banned Mr. Trump’s account following the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, due to concerns about his posts inciting violence. The former president’s account was reinstated after the company was purchased by Elon Musk. However, Mr. Trump has only posted once since then.
The unsealed court papers have shed more light on the investigation into Mr. Trump’s Twitter account and the legal battles between Twitter, the Justice Department, and the former president.