Trump legal team rejects BBC's financial records request
US President Donald Trump’s legal team has refused to provide financial records requested by the BBC in a $10 billion defamation lawsuit, escalating a discovery dispute in a Florida court, News.Az reports, citing the Financial Times.
According to the British daily, Trump filed the lawsuit against the BBC over a 2024 Panorama documentary, alleging the broadcaster “intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively” edited his remarks in a way that suggested he encouraged the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
He argues that the program caused financial and reputational harm, damaging “the value of his brand, properties and businesses.”
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Court filings reviewed by the Financial Times show that the BBC subpoenaed the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, which manages the president’s business assets through his son Donald Trump Jr., requesting records related to the trust’s holdings, assets, properties, and tax returns.
Trump’s lawyers and the trust objected to the request, calling it a “fishing expedition” and arguing that the trust, as a non-party, is not obligated to comply.
The broadcaster, however, said Trump’s efforts to delay proceedings appeared linked to what it described as the “flat refusal” of the trust to disclose financial information, despite claims of financial damage in the lawsuit.
The BBC has also asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the documentary was not broadcast in the United States and therefore falls outside the jurisdiction of the Florida court.
In a statement to the Financial Times, a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said the BBC is liable for “intentionally and maliciously defaming him by distorting and manipulating his speech,” adding: “No amount of attempted legal maneuvers can change that fact. President Trump will continue to hold accountable the BBC and all those who traffic in fake news.”
By Nijat Babayev
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