The details were included in a ruling from the federal appeals court in Washington over a legal battle surrounding the warrant that has played out under seal and behind closed doors for months. The appeals court rejected Twitter's claim that it should not have been held in contempt or sanctioned.
The court found that disclosing the warrant could risk that Trump could jeopardize the ongoing investigation by giving him “an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior” or notify his allies, the filing says. Twitter said if it had to turn over the records before the judge assessed the legality of the nondisclosure agreement, it would prevent Trump “from asserting executive privilege to shield communications made using his Twitter account,” the document says.
Trump's legal team has indicated it will argue that Trump was relying on the advice of lawyers in 2020 and had the right to challenge an election he believed was rigged. The warrant arrived at Twitter amid rapid changes instituted by Musk, who purchased the platform last year. Since taking over he's transformed the influential site, laying off much of its staff, including workers dedicated to ferreting out misinformation and hate speech.