The Intercept and the Freedom of the Press Foundation have filed a lawsuit against US President Donald Trump, seeking to block his plan to offer paid previews of his social media posts before they are published. The plaintiffs allege that the service would limit the public’s access to important public information.
They are demanding that Trump’s social media services stop allowing people to view his posts for money before they are published.
“This scheme is deeply corrupt. The president would financially benefit by providing ‘market-influencing’ government information to those willing and able to pay his private company,” the complaint states.
They allege that Trump’s company, Truth API, charges $6 million to $100,000 per month and provides advance access to Trump’s important government announcements, which is unconstitutional.
The plaintiffs claim that this would violate the press’s right to equal access to information and that Trump is personally benefiting from using government information, citing it as a violation of the First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution.
The lawsuit states that the Truth API was launched on August 1 and that more than 10 customers had joined it by August 10.
The subscription service from Trump Media and Technology Group offers instant access to posts from Trump and other key accounts on the company’s social media platform, Truth Social, for a monthly fee of $60,000 to $100,000.
The case will be heard in federal court for the Southern District of New York.
