The US special prosecutor investigating Donald Trump received a secret search warrant for the former president’s Twitter data in January, according to undisclosed filings.
Jack Smith has requested “data and records” related to Mr Trump’s account, which may include unpublished messages.
After initially resisting the order, Twitter eventually complied, but missed the court-ordered three-day deadline.
The delay resulted in a court fine of $350,000 (£275,000).
The existence of the search warrant and the legal battle over it were revealed in unsealed court documents Wednesday. Under the unsealed decision, which still includes some transactions, Twitter’s lawyers did not object to the order, but challenged the order to keep it secret.
The company, now known as X owned by Elon Musk, has argued that it should be allowed to notify customers whose accounts are the subject of a search warrant.
X handed over the data in February, but appealed the fine. His case was dismissed by a US appeals court last month.
There is little indication in the documents of exactly what Mr. Smith was looking for, with court filings noting that only the order requires the company to “present data and records” related to his account. Mr. Trump. The US congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots found that Mr. Trump wrote – but never sent – a tweet urging his supporters to come to Washington. .
It says:
“I’ll be giving a keynote speech at 10 a.m. on January 6 at the Ellipse (south of the White House). Please arrive early, a huge crowd is expected. Then head to the Palace. Capitol. Let’s stop the robbery!”
The @realdonaldtrump account with 86.5 million followers was suspended following the riot. It was reinstated in November 2022 after Mr. Musk conducted a poll asking users whether to allow the former president to return to the platform.
Mr. Trump has not posted on X since his reinstatement, preferring to use his own Truth social network.
Experts have noted that his business dealings with Truth Social mean he will lose millions of dollars if he starts reposting on X.
Mr. Trump responded to news of the search warrant on Truth Social, writing that it was a “‘severe blow’ to my civil rights…THIS IS NIGHT DAYS IN THE USA!”
He was charged in two investigations led by Mr Smith, one into the events that took place after the 2020 election and the other involving the handling of classified documents.