In January 2023, Special Counsel Jack Smith secured a search warrant for the Twitter account of former President Donald Trump, as revealed in recently unsealed court filings. This development comes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged interference with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 election. The warrant, directed at Twitter, now known as X, sought to obtain “data and records” associated with the “@realDonaldTrump” Twitter account.

The district court found probable cause to search the Twitter account for evidence of criminal offenses. Moreover, the court determined that disclosing the warrant to former President Trump would seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation by potentially allowing him to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, or alert his confederates. As a result, a nondisclosure order was issued, prohibiting Twitter from informing Trump about the existence of the warrant.

According to a three-judge panel, the purpose of the nondisclosure order was to avoid tipping off the former President about the warrant. The panel, which included Judge Florence Pan and Michelle Childs appointed by President Joe Biden, as well as Judge Cornelia Pillard appointed by former President Barack Obama, emphasized that Twitter was still free to raise general concerns about warrants or nondisclosure orders and to speak publicly about the January 6 investigation.

Twitter initially appealed the warrant, arguing that the “nondisclosure order” violated the First Amendment. Nonetheless, the social media platform ultimately complied after a three-day deadline when a federal judge held the company in contempt and imposed a $350,000 sanction for resisting the warrant.

Twitter also contended that U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell, overseeing the matter at the time, should have suspended the warrant until resolving the appeal.

Upon learning of the search warrant, former President Trump expressed his outrage on Truth Social, a social media platform he is associated with. He accused Crooked Joe Biden’s Department of Justice of secretly attacking his Twitter account and infringing on his campaign for President. Trump raised concerns about the First Amendment and questioned whether Jack Smith, the Special Counsel, instructed his team to destroy and delete all evidence.

“Just found out that Crooked Joe Biden’s DOJ secretly attacked my Twitter account, making it a point not to let me know about this major ‘hit’ on my civil rights,” Trump stated. “My Political Opponent is going CRAZY trying to infringe on my Campaign for President. Nothing like this has ever happened before. Does the First Amendment still exist? Did Deranged Jack Smith tell the Unselects to DESTROY & DELETE all evidence? These are DARK DAYS IN AMERICA!”

A week prior to the search warrant revelation, a federal jury indicted Trump on multiple felony charges related to the 2020 presidential election. The charges include Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, an Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, and Conspiracy Against Rights. Despite the indictment, Trump pleaded not guilty to all four charges, labeling them as a “pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election”.