53 ex-prosecutors ask judge to block Trump's $100,000 monthly Truth Social access

September 25, 2026 at 01:23 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Fifty-three former federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials filed an amicus brief Monday in the Southern District of New York seeking to block Donald Trump's $100,000 monthly service for early access to Truth Social posts. The brief supports a preliminary injunction requested by The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The group argues the arrangement could violate federal criminal statutes by giving traders a paid window into potentially market-moving government information.

Key Facts

The amicus brief was filed Monday in the Southern District of New York by 53 former federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials.
The group includes former officials from the Justice Department, FBI, and U.S. attorneys' offices across 11 presidential administrations, with more than 880 years of combined government service.
Trump Media & Technology Group launched Truth API, a data licensing product charging up to $100,000 per month for early access to posts from the President and other officials.
Reports estimate nearly a dozen firms have already signed up for the $100,000 monthly service.
The filing states there is no legitimate government interest in allowing public officials to profit personally by selling early access to official government announcements.

The Amicus Brief

The 53 former prosecutors and law enforcement agents filed the amicus brief Monday in the Southern District of New York in support of a preliminary injunction from The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation. The group includes former officials who worked on public corruption and public integrity matters at the Justice Department, FBI, and U.S. attorneys' offices across 11 presidential administrations, both Republican and Democratic. Collectively, they say they have more than 880 years of government service. The brief argues that the arrangement could implicate several federal criminal statutes, including giving traders a paid window into potentially market-moving government information. The filing states: "There is no legitimate, let alone significant, government interest in allowing public officials to profit personally by selling early access to official government announcements."

Truth API Service

Truth API is a data licensing product launched by Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social. The company pitched the service to financial institutions and trading firms as a way to receive posts from prominent Truth Social accounts before they are broadly available. Reports estimate nearly a dozen firms have already signed up for the $100,000 a month service. NYU Stern School of Business economics professor Gian Luca Clementi previously told Fortune: "This is insider trading by definition." Trump Media and Technology Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune.

Legal Status

The group has not filed a lawsuit yet and is not asserting that a crime has already been proven. Instead, the brief disputes launching the service on grounds that it may be criminal. Renata O'Donnell, senior legal counsel at the Campaign Legal Center, said: "It's so corrosive to democracy and to the public interest when we see the president financially benefitting from his official role."