BBC Seeks Jack Smith Deposition in Trump’s $10 Billion Defamation Case

The BBC is seeking to depose former special counsel Jack Smith in its defense against President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit. The lawsuit stems from a documentary, "Trump: A Second Chance?", which aired prior to the 2024 election and edited together segments of Trump's Jan. 6, 2021, speech. The BBC claims Smith could provide evidence relevant to Trump's intent regarding the Capitol attack.

Smith has not objected to the subpoena, while Trump's attorneys argue Smith's testimony would be repetitive and based on secondhand evidence. The BBC asserts Smith's public report does not encompass all evidence gathered during his investigation, citing Smith's conclusion that investigators had strong evidence that the Jan. 6 violence was foreseeable to Trump.

Trump's legal team contends Smith lacks firsthand knowledge of the case and argues that his gathered evidence originated from other sources. Trump also sued the BBC in December over the documentary, which the broadcaster later apologized for editing, but denied defaming him. The BBC has sought to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the doc was not distributed in the U.S. and that Trump cannot prove the edit caused reputational harm.

Trump's own deposition remains unresolved, with the BBC renewing its request for a court order compelling Trump to confirm a deposition date. A hearing on the deposition dispute is scheduled for Thursday.