Former President Donald Trump has asserted that special counsel Jack Smith, several judges and several appeals courts are “corrupt” and exercise “political bias.”
Ruling against Trump today was the U.S. Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C. The court denied Trump’s request that would prohibit Smith from having unfettered access to Trump’s Twitter feed.
Smith, whose eligibility to serve as special counsel will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in the coming weeks, is prosecuting two cases against the former president. Today’s appeals court ruling pertains to sedition and insurrection charges surrounding the events of Jan. 5-6, 2021.
Smith is seeking to use data from Trump’s cellphone in his prosecution of the former president on charges related to the protest and breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Smith maintains Trump’s involvement in the breach of the Capitol makes him complicit in an attempted insurrection.
An excerpt from the appeals court ruling read: “Upon consideration of appellant’s petition for rehearing en banc, the response thereto, the amicus curiae brief filed by Electronic Frontier Foundation in support of rehearing en banc, and the absence of a request by any member of the court for a vote, it is ordered that the petition be denied.”
NEW: The DC Circuit Court DENIES a re-hearing en banc of Twitter’s appeal of Jack Smith’s search warrant of Trump’s Twitter account information. Womp womp, Elmo. pic.twitter.com/r5EAJXg8Vl
— Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) January 16, 2024
Legal experts expect Trump will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The high court is currently reviewing petitions to hear cases related to Trump’s immunity request, Smith’s eligibility and the Colorado state Supreme Court’s ruling that Trump’s name should be removed from the 2024 ballot based on his reported violation of the 14th Amendment.
CEO of X, formally known as Twitter, Elon Musk, has previously refused to make Trump’s personal data available to the court. However, federal government leaders forced Musk to disclose data in the @realdonaldtrump account, including all tweets “created, drafted, favorited/liked, or retweeted.”
Federal officials reportedly forced Musk to reveal information on searches Trump may have used, information on the “devices used to log into the account, IP addresses used to log into the account, and a list of associated accounts.”
Trump’s attorneys assert the federal government’s request is an invasion of personal privacy and a profound overreach.
https://twitter.com/Charles01096252/status/1747335794346356832
