Trump Urges Court to Block BBC’s Subpoena Requests In Defamation Case
In a recent development in the legal battle between former President Donald Trump and the BBC, Trump has called on a federal judge to dismiss the BBC’s request for court assistance in obtaining testimonies and documents from his family members. The request is part of a $10 billion defamation lawsuit Trump has filed against the British broadcaster.
According to Trump’s legal team, the BBC is attempting to exert “politically-driven leverage” by issuing subpoenas to Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr. The argument was made in a recent court filing. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz, who recently inherited the case, has yet to make a ruling on the matter.
Judge Kuntz, appointed to the bench by Trump, began overseeing the case less than a week ago after it was reassigned from a previous judge without specified reasons. The trial is currently scheduled for February.
Attempts to serve subpoenas in person to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at their residence were unsuccessful due to Secret Service intervention, as stated by Trump’s lawyers. Subsequent attempts at Trump Tower in New York to serve Donald Trump Jr. also failed. In response, the BBC has filed a request to serve the subpoenas via certified mail.
The defamation lawsuit, filed in December, accuses the BBC of manipulating footage of Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech to misrepresent his statements. Trump contends that the broadcaster’s documentary, aired shortly before the 2024 presidential election, was a deliberate attempt to sway the election against him.
Trump’s legal team argues, “The relief that the BBC’s Motion seeks cannot be segregated from the politically charged discovery campaign that it is based on, and which has already been ruled as improperly overbroad by this Court.”
While the BBC has apologized to Trump for the misleading edit, it denies any defamation. Further developments in the case will be closely watched as the trial date approaches.
