Twitter fined for not cooperating with Trump investigation

Introduction

The social network Twitter has been fined $350,000 for refusing to cooperate with special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into former President Trump’s attempts to influence the 2020 election results in order to stay in power. Newly released court documents reveal that Twitter, recently renamed X, failed to comply with an injunction issued by Smith and his investigators.

Background

On behalf of the Justice Department, Smith filed a complaint earlier this month against Trump for his alleged attempts to unlawfully remain in power. In the preliminary investigation, on January 17 of this year, Smith called on Twitter to share information about the former president’s account. A court had found reasonable cause to believe that Trump had violated the law through his Twitter account.

Purposely lied

Trump is accused of spreading false information on Twitter regarding electoral fraud, inciting his supporters to protest in Washington, and pressuring Vice President Pence not to formally confirm Biden’s election win. The Capitol riot that ensued on January 6, 2021, resulted in the deaths of five individuals.

Twitter’s non-cooperation

The court instructed Twitter not to share the injunction with anyone, in order to prevent Trump from erasing evidence or warning others involved. Twitter refused to cooperate, citing the violation of freedom of expression as the reason. Despite repeated calls, Twitter did not comply, leading to the imposition of the fine in February.

Appeal

Twitter appealed the order and fine, but the appeal was rejected by a court in Washington DC this week. The details of Smith’s investigation and Twitter’s fine have only now become public due to the ongoing appeal case. Twitter has yet to respond to the court’s decision, leaving the company’s future cooperation uncertain.

The data sought by investigators

The exact nature of the Twitter data sought by Smith’s team is unknown. However, it is believed that the data includes information on the timing and location of Trump’s tweets, as well as the accounts that disseminated those tweets.

Account back again

Trump regained access to his Twitter account late last year after the company was acquired by Elon Musk. However, in 2021, he was permanently banned from the platform due to “incitement to violence” through his profile. Trump has not posted any new messages since regaining access to his account.

Response on Truth Social

Trump responded to Smith’s subpoena on his own social network, Truth Social. According to Trump, his Twitter account was “secretly hacked” and that Smith is attempting to “thwart” his new presidential candidacy.