Judge orders Trump to give deposition for his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against BBC
A judge has ordered President Donald Trump to give a deposition by December 11 in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC over a misleading documentary.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett mandated that President Donald Trump must provide his deposition by December 11, unless the discovery deadline is extended beyond December 18. This order came after the BBC's legal team complained about delays following Trump's cancellation of a previously scheduled deposition for October 16.
The $10 billion lawsuit, filed by Trump late last year, accuses the BBC of defamation through its 2024 "Panorama" documentary. The documentary allegedly distorted Trump's remarks to supporters on January 6, 2021, by omitting his call for peaceful protest and splicing together separate portions of his speech to create a misleading impression.
Documentary Controversy
The BBC documentary showed Trump saying, "We're going to walk down to the Capitol. And I'll be there with you. And we fight — we fight like hell." In reality, Trump's full statement included calls for strength and cheering on lawmakers, with the "fight like hell" remark coming 54 minutes later in the context of election integrity.
The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring his speech in a brazen attempt to interfere in the 2024 Presidential Election.
BBC Response
The BBC has previously issued an apology for the erroneous edit and removed the program from its platforms. However, the broadcaster maintains that the mistake does not rise to the level of defamation. The controversy led to the resignations of BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and BBC director-general Tim Davie.
The BBC had filed a motion to compel Trump's deposition, acknowledging that it requires "additional planning" but noting that Trump "accepted the obligations of civil litigation" when he filed the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the BBC declined to comment on the judge's latest order.
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