The BBC's legal team attempted in May to subpoena Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner for documents and testimony as it defends against Trump's $10bn defamation lawsuit over a Panorama edit of his January 6 speech. The BBC argues the three have personal knowledge of Trump's intentions that day, noting Trump Jr. and Ivanka were present as the speech was revised and that Kushner drafted a proposed statement condemning violence.
Attempts to hand-deliver the subpoenas failed repeatedly: representatives were turned away at a Florida police checkpoint, told the Secret Service couldn't accept documents, and at Trump Tower were told the relevant staff were at lunch or the legal department was out. The BBC has now asked the court to allow service by email and certified mail instead.
The BBC has apologised for the edit, which created what it called the mistaken impression Trump directly incited violence, but disputes it meets the legal bar for defamation and says the documentary wasn't available on its US platforms. A trial is scheduled for February 2027, and Trump's lawyers have already dropped BBC Studios from the suit and admitted they lacked evidence the program aired on BritBox or BBC.com in the US.
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