BBC seeks to subpoena Trumpâs eldest children and son-in-law over defamation lawsuit
The BBC is trying to subpoena Donald Trumpâs children as it builds its defense against the presidentâs defamation lawsuit centered on a documentary on the
The BBC is trying to subpoena Donald Trumpâs children as it builds its defense against the presidentâs defamation lawsuit centered on a documentary on the January 6 insurrection. In a motion filed Friday, the BBC sought authorization to serve Trumpâs two eldest children, Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, with subpoenas for testimony and their records on the events of 6 January 2021. The BBC, its lawyers wrote in court documents, is entitled to discover Trumpâs âintention behind the speech and anything that bears on the impression his audience could have reasonably obtained in listening to the speechâ, which includes whether Trump âgave it intentionally or otherwise; the breadth of the audience of the message and impression; and the extent of any resulting injury or harmâ.
Trump filed the lawsuit against the BBC in December over scenes in the 2024 BBC documentary Trump, A Second Chance?. It argued that the BBC spliced scenes from Trumpâs 6 January 2021 speech so that it appeared Trump directly urged his supporters to attack the US Capitol building. Trumpâs children and son-in-law have, âwithout question,â knowledge of several incidents that day, BBCâs lawyers wrote,, including when Trump sought to convince former vice president Mike Pence to refuse certifying the results of the 2020 election. The BBC also said that Kushner allegedly helped to draft a statement for Trump that would have condemned the use of violence at the Capitol. The British broadcaster had been unable to previously serve Trumpâs children and son-in-law with subpoenas because they are protected by the US Secret Service as members of the sitting presidentâs immediate family, according to the court documents.
The BBC had tried previously to serve Ivanka Trump and her husband, Kushner, at their home in Florida but were blocked by law enforcement. Trumpâs legal team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last week, a federal judge granted Trumpâs request to block the BBC from accessing financial records after Trumpâs lawyers said they would amend the lawsuit to focus specifically on the reputational damages rather than business impacts. Another judge had previously ruled that Trump would have to start handing over records that would have provided details on the hundreds of businesses owned by Trumpâs family trust. Trump recently claimed that the BBC used artificial intelligence to alter his speech, which the network has denied. While the BBC has apologized for the editing, it has maintained that Trump lacks the grounds for a defamation lawsuit.
The BriefWire