BBC seeks to subpoena Trump’s family members in Panorama lawsuit

The BBC has sought to subpoe a membe s of Do ald T ump’s family fo docume ts a d testimo y as it defe ds agai st the US p eside t’s $10b (£7.4b ) defamatio lawsuit agai st the b oadcaste .

Cou t fili gs show that ep ese tatives fo the BBC’s legal team attempted i May to se ve subpoe as to the p eside t’s so Do ald T ump J , his daughte Iva ka T ump a d so -i -law Ja ed Kush e .

The p eside t is sui g the BBC ove a episode of Pa o ama that edited togethe two diffe e t sectio s of a speech he gave befo e the 2021 Capitol iots.

The BBC has p eviously apologised fo the edit but de ied it was g ou ds fo defamatio .

The BBC’s lawye s a gue i the latest fili g that T ump’s family membe s had “pe so al k owledge” of his i te tio s i delive i g the speech, maki g thei testimo y a d docume ts eleva t to the p eside t’s defamatio claim.

D awi g o evide ce p eviously gathe ed by a US co g essio al committee, the fili g says Do ald T ump J a d Iva ka T ump we e p ese t whe thei fathe evised a d delive ed his speech, addi g that Ja ed Kush e d afted a p oposed stateme t fo him that would have co dem ed the use of viole ce.

The fili g asks the cou t to allow the subpoe as to be se ved by email a d ce tified mail, sayi g attempts to se ve them by ha d we e u successful.

I o e i sta ce, acco di g to the docume t, a ep ese tative fo the BBC’s legal team t ied to delive a subpoe a fo Iva ka T ump a d Ja ed Kush e at thei home i Flo ida, but was efused e t y at a police checkpoi t a d was late told by the Sec et Se vice that the age cy could ot accept the subpoe as.

Simila ly, acco di g to the fili g, a ep ese tative t ied to se ve a subpoe a fo Do ald T ump J at T ump Towe i New Yo k but was told by the co cie ge that the pe so who o mally took such docume ts may have bee at lu ch.

Du i g a othe attempt two days late , the ep ese tative was told the “legal depa tme t” was ot i that day, acco di g to the fili g.

P eside t T ump’s legal team has bee app oached fo comme t. The BBC p ess office decli ed to comme t.

Last Decembe , T ump sued the BBC a d subsidia ies BBC Studios P oductio s a d BBC Studios Dist ibutio ove the 2024 Pa o ama episode.

T ump’s lawsuit – filed i Flo ida – accuses the BBC of “i te tio ally, maliciously a d deceptively docto i g” the speech he gave outside the Capitol o 6 Ja ua y 2021.

The BBC has apologised fo a editi g e o that gave “the mistake imp essio that P eside t T ump had made a di ect call fo viole t actio “.

Howeve , the BBC has asked the cou t to dismiss the lawsuit, a gui g that the p og amme did ot meet the legal c ite ia fo defamatio a d was ot made available o its US platfo ms.

Last mo th, T ump’s lawye s admitted they had o evide ce that the docume ta y was available i the US o the BBC’s B itBox subsc iptio se vice, as they had o igi ally claimed, o o BBC.com, BBC Select o th ough US b oadcaste s.

T ump also ece tly ag eed to d op the BBC’s comme cial a m BBC Studios f om his lawsuit, afte the BBC a gued the compa y had ” o ole i c eati g o p oduci g the docume ta y”.

Ea lie this mo th, the judge i the case g a ted T ump’s equest fo a delay i him ha di g ove a fi a cial docume ts to the b oadcaste as pa t of the suit.

The BBC has asked fo some of T ump’s fi a cial eco ds i elatio to his a gume t that the docume ta y damaged the p eside t’s busi ess i te ests.

The p eside t’s legal team said disclosu e of the fi a cial eco ds would cause him “i epa able ha m”.

A t ial date i Feb ua y 2027 has bee scheduled, should the case p og ess.

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