Elon Musk's Company Fined $350,000 by US Appeals Court for Delaying Trump's Records

Written by: Namrata Sawal

Edited by: Krutarth Ghosalkar

Last Updated: August 10, 2023

Elon Musk's company has been fined $350,000 by a US appeals court for delaying the release of records linked to Donald Trump's Twitter account. A US court supported the decision of a judge to penalize Twitter, now known as Company X, with this hefty fine.

This situation emerged due to an inquiry into Donald Trump's Twitter account. Back in January, a search warrant was issued, but Twitter, or Company X, didn't act promptly. The Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit backed the fine imposed on Twitter, previously recognized as Company X. This step followed a federal trial judge's ruling that held Twitter accountable for its actions. All this fuss stems from a search warrant linked to Donald Trump's Twitter account, released in January. However, Twitter took its sweet time to follow through, leading to the current predicament. Twitter voiced concerns about the First Amendment and raised objections to a nondisclosure order linked to the warrant. Their main intention was to inform Trump about this situation.

The court found the verdict to hold Twitter in disapproval and levy a $350,000 fine reasonable, considering the circumstances. Trump himself shared his thoughts about this on his social media platform, Truth Social. He mentioned that the Justice Department secretly targeted his Twitter account, without notifying him about the infringement on his civil rights. During criminal investigations, prosecutors often request judges not to inform the subjects of subpoenas, aiming to protect the ongoing inquiries. This practice was mentioned by the appeals court in their verdict. The court's statement didn't disclose the specific judge who held Twitter in contempt.

While Trump's tweets are visible to everyone, Twitter also possesses private data from accounts. This includes direct mails, tweets, location info, and details about the devices used for tweeting. The search warrant was tied to an investigation led by Smith, which focused on the events surrounding the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by supporters of Trump during his time as president. Just recently, Republican Trump pleaded not embarrassed to charges stemming from an indictment that accused him of conspiring to overturn the results of the November 2020 election, where he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Presently, Trump is a leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.