Judge orders Trump to give interview under oath in BBC libel case

A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump to provide a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by December 11. The U.S. Magistrate Judge's order came after the BBC's lawyers complained about Trump's delays in the deposition process. Attorney Charles Tobin stated that even with two months remaining in the discovery period, the BBC's lawyers have not yet been able to depose Trump.

According to Tobin, Trump had previously canceled a previously agreed-upon deposition date of October 16 due to "matters of national importance." However, Tobin also revealed that Trump was actually campaigning in Georgia on that day. Should Trump fail to comply with the judge's order, he could face sanctions, potentially leading to the dismissal of his lawsuit.

The BBC had previously requested the judge to compel Trump to appear after he canceled the previously scheduled deposition date of October 16 citing "matters of national importance." The British broadcaster claims that Trump is attempting to delay his appearance until January 2027. Trump filed his lawsuit against the BBC last December, seeking $10 billion in damages, alleging defamation and deceptive and unfair trade practices related to a documentary titled "Trump: A Second Chance."

The BBC acknowledged that filmmakers had edited quotes from different sections of Trump's speech delivered on January 6, 2021, to make it appear as though he was directly inciting violence. The broadcaster responded by apologizing and resigning its head and top news executive. The BBC has denied Trump's claims of defamation, bolstering its defense by subpoenaing former special counsel Jack Smith.

Trump's legal team argued that Smith lacks personal knowledge regarding the issues in the case, as he was not present during the speech or its preparation. The BBC countered that Smith's testimony would be authoritative, as he spent years gathering evidence on the events of January 6.