The former justice department reportedly used a grand jury subpoena to Twitter to try to identify who was criticizing Devin Nunes on Twitter. See Charlie Savage, Trump Justice Dept. Tried to Use Grand Jury to Identify Nunes Critic on Twitter, New York Times, online Monday, May 17, 2021.
In response to this revelation, Washington informants tell the newspapers that the former justice department really tried to use a grand jury subpoena instead to go after critics of Mitch McConnell.
Regardless of who they were going after in the former regime -- and we can expect many, many more stories of subpoenas and other things to come out as time goes by -- I want to take a look at the secrecy Order that a United States Magistrate Judge apparently signed giving her or his "okay" to using a grand jury subpoena without telling anyone about it.
A little background for people who may not be familiar with the Courts. A U.S. Magistrate Judge is not a judge. She or he is chosen by actual Judges to help them. Think of a U.S. Magistrate Judge as a kind of Assistant Judge. Among other things, they review subpoenas.
Back to the secrecy Order in this case. I wrote that the U.S. Magistrate Judge "apparently signed" it. The only copy we have so far is not signed. Her or his identity is a secret. Perhaps they are ashamed. But in any event, their identity is a secret, so far. Ironic, when you think that the reason for the Order itself is secrecy.
When this unknown, unidentified Magistrate was presented with a request from the former regime to keep the subpoena a secret, the Magistrate not only granted their request but ordered Twitter "not to notify any other person of the existence" of the subpoena.
That is why we only recently found out about the existence of the subpoena, and about the existence of the secrecy Order as well. Not even people trying to take over the justice department for their own interests could have hidden that better.
Oh, wait .... Here is the Order: Download UNSIGNED SECRET TW O.
Please read the disclaimer. ©2021 Dennis J. Wall. All rights reserved.
Comments