BBC asks U.S. court to help get testimony from Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Don Jr., saying they have ‘personal knowledge’ on defamation claims

The BBC has sought help from a U.S. court to obtain documents and testimony from Donald Trump's family members, including his daughter Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, and son-in-law Donald Trump Jr., in connection with their $10-billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster. According to a filing in federal court in Florida, the family members have "personal knowledge" and likely possess records relevant to Trump's claims against the broadcaster.

The BBC has been unable to serve subpoenas due to the family members' Secret Service protection and other security personnel surrounding them. The lawsuit, filed by Trump in December, seeks $10 billion in damages, accusing the BBC of defamation, deceptive and unfair trade practices, and attempting to influence the 2024 U.S. presidential election through a 2024 documentary that allegedly edited a portion of Trump's speech on January 6, 2021, to misrepresent his statements.

While the BBC apologized for the misleading edit, it maintains that it did not defame Trump. The BBC has requested the court to allow the subpoenas to be served by email and certified mail. Trump's legal team dismissed the BBC's request, stating that the broadcaster is "trying to distract away from their own obvious liability" and accused the BBC of "harassing him, his family, and supporters by abusing the deposition process." A trial has been set for February in the case.