BBC asks Florida court to issue subpoenas for Trump family members in defamation case
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The British broadcaster has filed a request with a Southern District of Florida court to compel Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner to testify in the network's defense against a $10 billion defamation lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump.
The BBC has petitioned a federal court in southern Florida for authorization to serve subpoenas on Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. The subpoenas would require the three to provide testimony and documents related to events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which the broadcaster argues are relevant to the plaintiff’s claims.
In its filing, the BBC’s legal team said the individuals have "personal knowledge and likely have possession, custody, or control of records relevant to multiple elements of Plaintiff's claims against the BBC." The court has given Trump’s lawyers until Friday to respond.
Trump’s legal representatives have characterized the move as an attempt to harass the former president, his family and supporters. > "The BBC is simply trying to distract away from their own obvious liability," a spokesperson for the Trump team said.
The subpoena request follows the broadcaster’s earlier, unsuccessful attempts in May to serve the same individuals. Those efforts were reportedly blocked by local law enforcement and the Secret Service, and a concierge at Trump Tower declined to accept documents.
The defamation suit, filed in December, alleges that a BBC Panorama documentary edited a speech by Trump in a way that misrepresented his remarks and suggested he called for violence. The BBC has apologized for the edit but maintains that it does not constitute defamation. The network argues that the Trump family members were present in the Oval Office while the speech was being revised and that Jared Kushner drafted a statement condemning the violence, making them material witnesses.
The BBC declined to comment on the filing when approached for comment.