Jack Smith gets warrant to search Trump’s Twitter

©  Getty Images/Madeline Monroe

Newly unsealed court filings show that special counsel Jack Smith subpoenaed and obtained a search warrant for former President Trump’s account on Twitter, the company now called X — a process that involved a legal battle between the company and the Justice Department.

The Justice Department obtained an order prohibiting X from disclosing the search warrant to Trump or anyone else. The company challenged that order on First Amendment objections.

The court found that informing Trump of the search could have given him “an opportunity to destroy evidence, change patterns of behavior, [or] notify confederates.”

Trump said Wednesday the Justice Department made it “a point not to let me know about this major ‘hit’ on my civil rights.”

Twitter was fined $350,000 for a three-day delay in complying with the records handover, according to the unsealed filings.

The search warrant for Trump’s Twitter account was connected to the investigation into Trump’s efforts to stay in power following the 2020 election. Smith indicted Trump in that case last week.

Smith also indicted Trump earlier this year in the case on the former president’s handling of classified documents. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Read more about the search warrant here.

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More than 3 in 4 Americans, 77 percent, in a new Economist/YouGov survey say abortion is a very or somewhat important issue to them, including 87 percent of Democrats and 72 percent of Republicans.

The poll, conducted Aug. 5-8 with a margin of error of 2.8 percentage points, was released on the heels of Ohio voters on Tuesday rejecting a ballot measure that would have made it harder to enshrine abortion protections in the state Constitution this fall.

Learn more about Tuesday’s election here.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) suspended State Attorney Monique Worrell Wednesday for what he called “neglect of duty and incompetence.”

“The state of Florida is a law-and-order state, and that means we support the men and women who wear the uniform, who protect and serve. It means we have strong policies to hold criminals accountable for their misconduct,” DeSantis, who is running for the GOP presidential nomination, said at a press briefing.

“Prosecutors have a duty to faithfully enforce the law. One’s political agenda cannot trump this solemn duty. Refusing to faithfully enforce the laws of Florida puts our communities in danger and victimizes innocent Floridians.”

Worrell ran on a platform that included increasing police accountability and ending cash bail. She said Wednesday, “I was elected by the people of the 9th Judicial Circuit to lead this circuit, and yes, to do things unconventionally, to do things differently. … I did exactly what I said I was going to do and that is what you want from an elected official.” 

Worrell said that “under this tyranny, elected officials can be removed simply for political purposes and by a whim of the Governor.” Read more here.

©  AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File

There’s a new online dashboard to map emergency medical services (EMS) responses to heat-related illness in the U.S., run by the Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

From Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra: “The EMS HeatTracker is a powerful tool from the Biden-Harris Administration that brings actionable information to prioritize outreach and interventions, helping prevent heat-related illnesses and death and build resilience across the nation.”

Operational changes and workforce cuts at progressive group Justice Democrats come “amid signs the movement is not as energized as it was even several years ago, as Democrats across the spectrum seek to coalesce around President Biden ahead of a possible rematch against former President Trump,” The Hill’s Hanna Trudo reports. Read more here.

“Mellman: Deregulation, tech created today’s media landscape” — Mark Mellman, president of The Mellman Group and of Democratic Majority for Israel. (Read here)

“Historic Supreme Court case could imperil the entire US tax code” — Travis Nix, a graduate of Georgetown Law School. (Read here)

14 days until the first GOP presidential primary debate.

454 days until the presidential election.

The Iowa State Fair kicks off and runs through Aug. 20. Several 2024 Republican presidential candidates will attend, including former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

10 a.m.: The House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce holds a hearing called “Weathering the Storm: Oversight of the Federal Response and Recovery Efforts in Southwestern Florida following Hurricane Ian.”

There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ALaTour@thehill.com