Current:Home > MyEchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center|Prosecutors warned that Trump learning of search warrant could 'precipitate violence' -Wealth Empowerment Zone
EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center|Prosecutors warned that Trump learning of search warrant could 'precipitate violence'
SafeX Pro View
Date:2025-04-08 22:11:44
Prosecutors for special counsel Jack Smith petitioned a judge in secret proceedings in April,EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center arguing that if former President Donald Trump learned of the search warrant they secured for his Twitter account, it could "precipitate violence" -- evoking the attack by one of Trump's supporters on an FBI field office in Ohio that occurred after the search of Mar-a-Lago last year, according to newly unsealed court filings.
The special counsel's office early this year served Twitter with a search warrant for records and data from Trump's Twitter account as part of its federal investigation in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, ABC News previously reported.
In making their case to keep Twitter from disclosing the search to Trump, prosecutors argued that the former president "presents a significant risk of tampering with evidence, seeking to influence or intimidate potential witnesses, and otherwise seriously jeopardizing the Government’s ongoing investigations" into both his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents.
MORE: Special counsel sought Trump's Twitter DMs despite 'extraordinary' pushback from company, court documents say
The disclosure came in hundreds of pages of court filings unsealed Friday at the request of a media coalition, including ABC News, that sought further details on the government's secret fight with Twitter -- now named X -- to search through Trump's account data and keep their effort from becoming public.
A Trump spokesperson did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.
Months before they moved to indict Trump in both the documents investigation and Jan. 6 probe, the documents show how prosecutors were highly alarmed about steps they believed Trump was already taking to allegedly obstruct their probes.
Those acts, they argued, included publicizing the existence of the Mar-a-Lago warrant and paying the legal fees of numerous potential witnesses who could testify against him.
Giving the warrant to Trump, they argued, would "provide him with considerable ammunition to engage in the same kind of obstructive efforts" he was already participating in.
The filing from April also reveals that when Twitter handed over the initial tranche of data from Trump's account to the government, it included "32 direct message items," though it does not say whether those were messages sent or received by Trump.
The data also included information that prosecutors said could help to show where Trump was when he sent certain tweets, or if someone else was using his account.
Twitter ultimately lost its fight in both the district court and before a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals panel, and was forced to pay $350,000 in fines after being held in contempt for failing to comply with the search warrant, according to previously released court records.
The company has appealed again before the full D.C. Appeals court, though it's not immediately clear whether the court will take up the case.
Trump pleaded not guilty last month to charges of undertaking a "criminal scheme" to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and pleaded not guilty in June to 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials after leaving office. He has denied all charges and denounced the probes as a political witch hunt.
ABC News' Lalee Ibssa contributed to this report.
veryGood! (21)
Related
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- Man pleads not guilty to killing 3 family members in Vermont
- Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’ Whitney Leavitt Addresses Rumors About Her Husband’s Sexuality
- Jason Duggar Marries Maddie Grace in Fall-Themed Wedding
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Ohio girl concedes cutting off tanker that spilled chemical last year in Illinois, killing 5
- Kim Kardashian Defends Lyle Menendez and Erik Menendez From Monsters Label, Calls for Prison Release
- California collects millions in stolen wages, but can’t find many workers to pay them
- Your Wedding Guests Will Thank You if You Get Married at These All-Inclusive Resorts
- Get 30 Rings for $8.99, Plus More Early Amazon Prime Day 2024 Jewelry Deals for 68% Off
Ranking
- Golf's No. 1 Nelly Korda looking to regain her form – and her spot on the Olympic podium
- US nuclear weapon production sites violated environmental rules, federal judge decides
- Nibi the ‘diva’ beaver to stay at rescue center, Massachusetts governor decides
- Watch: Pete Alonso – the 'Polar Bear' – sends Mets to NLDS with ninth-inning home run
- JoJo Siwa reflects on Candace Cameron Bure feud: 'If I saw her, I would not say hi'
- UNC relocates intrasquad scrimmage from Cherokee after Hurricane Helene’s impact to region
- 'Love is Blind' star Hannah says she doesn’t feel ‘love bombed’ by Nick
- Garth Brooks denies rape accusations, says he's 'not the man they have painted me to be'
Recommendation
'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
Jersey Shore's Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Shares Daughter's Gut-Wrenching Reaction to His 2021 Legal Trouble
Ohio girl concedes cutting off tanker that spilled chemical last year in Illinois, killing 5
Mark Estes and the Montana Boyz Will Be “Looking for Love” in New Show After Kristin Cavallari Split
Audit: California risked millions in homelessness funds due to poor anti-fraud protections
No, That Wasn't Jack Nicholson at Paris Fashion Week—It Was Drag Queen Alexis Stone
Amazon hiring 250,000 seasonal workers before holiday season: What to know about roles, pay
How Taylor Swift Gave a Nod to Travis Kelce on National Boyfriend Day