By Casey Harper | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump blasted the Department of Justice after news broke that the DOJ obtained a search warrant for “data and records” related to Trump’s account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the latest step in the federal charges against him.
A federal appellate court document revealed that Special Counsel Jack Smith got the search warrant in January as part of his investigation into Trump’s role in contesting the 2020 election results.
X was hit with a $350,000 fine earlier this year for delaying in complying. It handed over Trump’s information in February.
Trump blasted the news online, saying it is a political attack on his campaign.
“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 said in a statement. “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!”
Trump pleaded not guilty to all four of the election-related charges in this latest, and third, indictment against him.
According to the indictment, charges against Trump include conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction, and conspiracy against rights.
While Trump did tell protesters on social media to be peaceful on Jan. 6, critics argue his posts leading up to the Jan. 6 event fueled the fire of unrest.
“I am asking for everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful,” Trump wrote on X, then Twitter, on Jan. 6, 2021, the day of the storming of the Capitol building. “No violence! Remember, WE are the Party of Law & Order – respect the Law and our great men and women in Blue. Thank you!”
The DOJ’s Twitter warrant drew criticism from conservatives. Tom Fitton, president of the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, called the update “out of control.”
“Leftist DC courts uphold Biden DOJ secret political subpoena of Trump’s Twitter account!” he wrote on X. “Anti-Trump animus is ruining the credibility of the courts here in DC.”