The BBC has asked a U.S. court for help in getting documents and testimony from members of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s family in connection with his $10-billion defamation lawsuit against the British broadcaster.

Background of the Lawsuit

Trump filed the lawsuit in December, accusing the BBC of defamation as well as deceptive and unfair trade practices. The allegations center on the way a 2024 documentary edited a speech Trump gave on January 6, 2021, before protesters attacked the Capitol in Washington.

The lawsuit accuses the BBC of ‘splicing together two entirely separate parts of President Trump’s speech’ to ‘intentionally misrepresent the meaning of what President Trump said.’ It added that the editing was ‘a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence’ the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Request for Testimony

Lawyers for the BBC argued that Ivanka Trump, her husband Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump, Jr. have ‘personal knowledge’ and likely have records relevant to elements of Trump’s claims against the broadcaster. The BBC has been unable to serve subpoenas because the three have Secret Service protection and other security personnel around them.

The BBC asked Trump to accept the subpoenas on his daughter and son-in-law’s behalf or to direct the Secret Service to allow the subpoenas to be served, but he refused. The broadcaster asked the court to allow the subpoenas to be served by email and certified mail.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.