Feds (essentially): Wait a second, is this getting away from us in public opinion? Hey, hey, Apple worked with China before.
Last month, the government obtained an unprecedented court order under the All Writs Act, an obscure 18th-century statute, which would compel Apple to assist in the government's investigation. If the order stands up to legal challenges, Apple would be forced to create a new customized iOS firmware that would remove the passcode lockout on the phone. Apple has said both publicly and in court filings that it will fight the order as much as possible, and the company has drawn support from many cryptographers, tech companies, and even the husband of a survivor of the attack. ‘The tone of the brief reads like an indictment,’ Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel said. ‘In 30 years of practice I don't think I've ever seen a brief that was intended to smear.’