Donald Trump's legal team has rejected a request by the BBC to provide financial information as part of his $10bn defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster. The US president's lawyers accused the BBC of a 'fishing expedition' after the broadcaster asked for details to support Trump's claims of reputational and financial harm from a Panorama documentary about the US Capitol riots.
The BBC had spliced together two parts of a speech Trump gave on 6 January 2021, before the unrest at the US Capitol. The broadcaster later retracted the clip and apologised, saying it would not be shown again. Trump accused the BBC of 'intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring' his speech.
According to court documents filed in Miami, Florida, in May, the BBC requested financial papers from the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, which holds the president's business interests. Lawyers asked for records showing income, assets and properties, listing hundreds of companies under the trust. Trump's lawyers, Brito PLLC, called the request 'disproportionate' and encompassing entities with no connection to the dispute, adding that producing 'tens of thousands of documents' within 30 days was 'unreasonable and improper'.
Filings show Trump's legal team made 503 requests for documents, to which the BBC turned over 45,000 pages. Trump has produced none. The BBC has asked a US court to throw out the lawsuit, arguing it would have a 'chilling effect' on reporting and that the court lacks jurisdiction as the documentary was not broadcast in the US or Florida. The dismissal claim is ongoing.
