US President Donald Trump has asked a federal court in southern Florida to reject the BBC’s request to subpoena his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, his first daughter, Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner. The request is part of Trump’s $10bn lawsuit over a documentary episode that edited together two passages from his January 6, 2021, speech.
Trump’s lawyers argued in a Friday court filing that the BBC had launched a “politically charged discovery campaign” and was pursuing a broad investigation rather than the narrow dispute at the centre of the case. The court has not yet ruled on the subpoena requests.
What the lawsuit is about
Trump announced the lawsuit in December over an episode of the documentary series Panorama, which examined his path to a second term. The episode included a line about walking down with supporters and a later line saying, “And we fight. We fight like hell,” making the passages sound like one continuous quote.
The BBC apologised for the editing and removed the episode from its platforms, but denied Trump’s defamation claim and said it would defend the case. Trump’s lawyers say the dispute concerns the alleged deliberate splicing of the two passages, which were spoken nearly 55 minutes apart.
Why the BBC wants testimony
The BBC says testimony from Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump could help establish Trump’s thoughts and actions on January 6. Both were present at his speech and spoke with the president and people in his inner circle as violence unfolded at the US Capitol.
The broadcaster also says Kushner’s role as a Trump adviser makes his testimony relevant, even though he was not at the White House. According to the BBC’s motion, Kushner drafted a proposed statement for Trump that would have condemned the use of violence after speaking with congressional leaders. The motion says the testimony could help assess Trump’s claim that it would be materially false to imply he incited violence.
The dispute over serving the subpoenas
The BBC says it could not serve the three family members because of their US Secret Service protection. Attempts in May to deliver documents to Ivanka Trump and Kushner at their residence and to Trump Jr at Trump Tower in New York were unsuccessful, according to the motion.
The broadcaster has asked permission to use certified mail instead. Trump’s lawyers described the effort as harassment of the president’s family, associates and officials, and argued that communications involving Ivanka Trump and Kushner may be covered by presidential executive privilege because they served as advisers.
What happens next
The southern Florida federal court must decide whether to allow the requested subpoena service. Trump’s lawyers are also opposing the BBC’s discovery requests, while the BBC has separately asked the court to dismiss the entire lawsuit, arguing that Trump is attempting to dampen free speech.
No comments yet. Start the discussion.