BBC asks US court for help with testimony from the Trump family in defamation suit

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has petitioned a US court for assistance in obtaining documents and testimony from members of President Donald Trump's family in connection with a defamation lawsuit worth US$10 billion. According to a court document, the BBC's lawyers argued that Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr. possess "personal knowledge" and likely have records related to elements of Trump's claims against the broadcaster.

The lawsuit alleges that the BBC defamed Trump by editing a 2024 documentary featuring a speech he gave on January 6, 2021, before the Capitol protests. The BBC has admitted to apologizing for the misleading edit but maintains it did not defame Trump. The court filing cites that Trump Jr. and Ivanka were present in the Oval Office when Trump was revising his speech, and that Trump Jr. spoke directly to his father after violence broke out at the Capitol.

The BBC requested that Trump accept subpoenas on their behalf or direct the Secret Service to allow the subpoenas to be served. However, Trump refused, leading the BBC to ask the court to allow the subpoenas to be served via email and recorded delivery. The judge has given Trump's legal team until Friday to respond to the BBC's request.

Trump's legal team labeled the BBC's request as an attempt to distract from their own liability and accused the broadcaster of intentionally defaming Trump while seeking to harass him, his family, and supporters. A trial has been provisionally scheduled for February, and a federal judge in Florida recently granted Trump a reprieve from an order requiring him to provide details of his business empire's financial performance as part of the lawsuit.