Twitter Fined $350,000 Over Failing to Give Trump's Data to US Authorities

Twitter, the social media company, has been ordered to hand over former president Donald Trump's account records to the special counsel investigating the events leading up to the January 6, 2021, attack. The company has also been fined for not complying with the search warrant in a timely manner, according to an appellate court ruling. The ruling, which was unsealed on Wednesday, reveals that a lower-court judge had previously ruled in March that Twitter, now known as X, had to comply with a sealed search warrant issued by the special counsel and pay a $350,000 fine for missing a court-ordered deadline by three days. The judge also found reason to believe that making the search warrant public could lead to obstructive conduct from Trump or his fleeing prosecution.

Twitter appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals, which upheld the lower-court ruling in July. As Trump has now been charged with four felonies related to his attempts to retain power after losing the 2020 election, the appellate decision has been unsealed. Twitter did not oppose the search warrant but argued that a gag order preventing them from notifying Trump violated the First Amendment. However, the court sided with the government.

The appellate court ruling states that there were "reasonable grounds to believe" that disclosing the warrant to Trump could seriously jeopardize the ongoing investigation, potentially allowing him to destroy evidence or notify confederates. The ruling also mentions the possibility of the former president fleeing from prosecution, although the special counsel's team later clarified that they did not intend to make that argument. Twitter eventually produced the requested records three days after the court's deadline.

The ruling does not specify the exact nature of the records that were handed over, but a subpoena could cover draft tweets, direct messages, and information on account access. The grand jury indictment against Trump, which was issued this month, makes reference to 18 of his tweets, including seven from January 6. In those tweets, Trump spread false fraud claims, attacked officials, called on supporters to gather in Washington, and pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to help overturn the election results.

The appellate court panel, consisting of two Biden appointees and one appointee of former President Barack Obama, found that Twitter's First Amendment rights were not violated as the nondisclosure order was a narrowly tailored means of protecting the integrity of the grand jury investigation. The court also upheld the $350,000 fine imposed on Twitter, considering it reasonable given the company's valuation and the court's goal of coercing compliance.

Twitter has not yet provided a comment on the ruling.