A federal appeals court denies a challenge to a secret search warrant for Trump’s account, with conservative judges strongly criticizing Special Counsel Jack Smith’s actions.
Byline: By yourNEWS Media Staff
A federal appeals court recently ruled against a challenge to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s secret search warrant for former President Trump’s account. This legal battle stems from Smith’s request, approved by Obama-appointed Judge Beryl Howell, for a secret search warrant on Trump’s account, which was admitted to contain inaccurate information.
The company managing Trump’s account was fined $350,000 for delaying the production of subpoenaed records. This search warrant was issued under such secrecy that Trump was unaware of its existence, due to a nondisclosure order from the Biden Justice Department preventing the company from informing him about the subpoena.
The company argued that the nondisclosure order violated the First Amendment and Stored Communications Act. Despite these claims, the DC Circuit Court Appeals in August found “reasonable grounds to believe” that Trump would jeopardize the ongoing investigation if informed about the warrant. CNN reported that the court was concerned Trump might destroy evidence or alter behavior if made aware of the warrant.
In September, the company requested a hearing before the entire court of 11 judges (en banc), which was denied. Four conservative judges from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals issued a strong condemnation of Jack Smith, Judge Beryl Howell, and Judge Florence Pan for circumventing executive privilege during the warrant process.
Judge Naomi Rao, joined by three other conservative judges, criticized the Special Counsel’s approach, stating, “The Special Counsel’s approach obscured and bypassed any assertion of executive privilege and dodged the careful balance Congress struck in the Presidential Records Act.”
Holy sh*t: 4 judges on DC appellate court just delivered a scorching smack down of Special Counsel Jack Smith, Judge Beryl Howell, and Judge Florence Pan for search of Trump’s Twitter file.
“The Special Counsel’s approach obscured and bypassed any assertion of executive… pic.twitter.com/jwIIIxeZPB
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) January 16, 2024
In addition to the search warrant, Jack Smith and the Biden DOJ demanded information on all users who interacted with President Trump’s tweets. This ruling and the conservative judges’ criticism highlight ongoing tensions and legal complexities surrounding the investigations of former President Trump.