Donald Trump's legal team has rejected a request by the BBC to provide financial information as part of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster. The US president's lawyers described the request as a 'fishing expedition' in court filings.
The BBC sought records from the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, which holds Trump's business interests, to support his claims of reputational and financial harm from a Panorama documentary about the US Capitol riots. Trump's lawyers argued the request was 'disproportionate' and covered entities with no connection to the case.
The documentary, broadcast in October 2024, spliced together two parts of a speech Trump gave on 6 January 2021, making it appear he said 'we fight. We fight like hell' in one sentence. The BBC later retracted the clip and apologised. Trump accused the BBC of 'intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring' his speech.
Court filings show Trump's team has made 503 document requests to the BBC, which has turned over 45,000 pages. Trump has produced none. The BBC has asked a US court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing it would have a 'chilling effect' on reporting and that the court lacks jurisdiction as the programme was not broadcast in the US.
A spokesperson for Trump's legal team said the BBC 'intentionally and maliciously defamed' the president and that 'no amount of attempted legal manoeuvres can change that fact'. The case is scheduled for trial in 2027.
