The BBC wants to serve subpoenas on Trump's children and Kushner in a defamation case
The BBC has asked a court for permission to serve subpoenas on Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner to compel them to provide testimony and documents. The British broadcaster is gathering evidence for its defense in a defamation lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump over a documentary about the events of January 6, 2021, The Guardian reports.
In a motion filed on Friday, BBC lawyers stated that Trump’s two eldest children and his son-in-law have information regarding several incidents that occurred that day. Specifically, this refers to Trump’s attempts to persuade then-Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
According to the BBC, it is important for the case to establish Trump’s intent during his speech, as well as the impression it might have made on the audience, the extent of the speech’s reach, and the potential harm. In court documents, the broadcaster also stated that Kushner allegedly helped draft Trump’s statement condemning the violence at the Capitol.
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Trump filed a lawsuit against the BBC in December over scenes from the 2024 documentary *Trump: A Second Chance?*. He claims that the broadcaster edited clips of his January 6, 2021, speech to create the impression that he directly called on his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol.
The BBC had previously been unable to serve subpoenas on Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at their home in Florida; court documents indicate that law enforcement officials prevented this. According to court documents, Trump’s children and his son-in-law are protected by the U.S. Secret Service as members of the sitting president’s immediate family.
Last week, a federal judge granted Trump’s request to block the BBC’s access to his financial records. The president’s lawyers stated that they plan to focus the lawsuit on reputational damage rather than business impact. The BBC apologized for the editing but insists there are no grounds for a defamation lawsuit. Trump’s team did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
