BBC seeks to subpoena Trump’s family members in Panorama lawsuit

The BBC has sought to subpoena members of Donald Trump's family, including his son Donald Trump Jr, daughter Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, in a $10bn defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster. The president is suing the BBC over an edited episode of Panorama that portrayed him as calling for violence during the 2021 Capitol riots.

The BBC has previously apologized for the edit but maintains it was not grounds for defamation. The BBC's lawyers argue that Trump's family members had "personal knowledge" of his intentions in delivering the speech, making their testimony and documents relevant to the president's claim. Attempts to serve the subpoenas by hand were unsuccessful, with the BBC's legal team being refused entry at a police checkpoint and later told by the Secret Service that they could not accept the subpoenas.