It was 50 years ago this summer that the audio system in the White House became public knowledge as the result of the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee hearings
It was 50 years ago this summer that the audio system in the White House became public knowledge as the result of the U.S. Senate Watergate Committee hearings. However, one such audio recording—later known as the “Smoking Gun” tape—documented the initial stages of the Watergate cover-up, where President Richard Nixon was heard formulating a plan with White House Chief of Staff Harry “Bob” Haldeman to block the investigation.
Once the transcript was made public, Nixon’s political support essentially vanished overnight.
Such is unlikely to happen, regardless of what Special Counsel Jack Smith may have expected to find with former President Donald Trump’s Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump. Earlier this year, Smith obtained a search warrant, according to newly revealed court documents.
It was reported by Politico.com on Wednesday that Twitter initially refused to comply with the January 17 warrant, and that resulted in a federal judge holding the company—now called X—in contempt, and levying a $350,000 fine. A federal court of appeals upheld the fine.
It was only this week that a redacted version of the previously sealed opinion was unsealed that details of the secret court battle were revealed.Looking For The Smoking Gun Tweet?
Smith had sought information about Trump’s Twitter activity before and during the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021. The former president had actively used the account until he was banned from the platform just days after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building.
