Washington. The US special counsel investigating Donald Trump obtained an access order to the former president’s Twitter account in January and the social media company was slow to comply with the order, according to an appeals court opinion issued Wednesday. .
The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld the federal trial judge’s decision to hold Twitter, now known as X, in contempt and fine him $350,000.
The ruling stated that Twitter raised First Amendment concerns over a non-disclosure order issued on access, as the company wanted to notify Trump about it.
“Under the circumstances, the court did not abuse its discretion when ultimately holding Twitter in contempt and imposing a $350,000 penalty,” the ruling said.
Spokesmen for X, Trump and special counsel Jack Smith did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Wednesday’s court opinion did not identify which judge held Twitter in contempt.
While Trump’s tweets are publicly viewable, the company also has non-public information about accounts, such as direct messages, draft tweets, location data, and the type of device used to send the messages.
The court opinion found the order related to Smith’s investigation into the events that rocked the Capitol on January 6, 2021 by supporters of Trump, while he was still president.
Last week, Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to overturn his November 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump is the favorite for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
