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By Newzyy Staff — 1d ago
The BBC has filed a motion seeking court approval to subpoena Donald Trump’s children and son-in-law as part of its defense against the former president’s defamation lawsuit over a documentary about the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
In court documents filed Friday, BBC lawyers argued that Trump’s eldest children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, along with his son-in-law Jared Kushner, possess key information relevant to the case. The BBC is investigating whether Trump’s speech on January 6 was intentionally crafted to incite violence and how his audience might have interpreted it, including the extent of any resulting harm.
The lawsuit stems from the BBC’s 2024 documentary *Trump, A Second Chance?*, which Trump claims falsely suggested he directly urged supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol. BBC lawyers noted that Trump’s children and Kushner have firsthand knowledge of events that day, including Trump’s efforts to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject the 2020 election results. They also cited reports that Kushner helped draft a statement condemning the Capitol violence, which Trump never issued.
Serving subpoenas to Trump’s family has proven difficult because they are protected by the U.S. Secret Service as immediate family of a sitting president. The BBC previously attempted to serve Ivanka Trump and Kushner at their Florida home but was blocked by law enforcement. Trump’s legal team has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Last week, a federal judge granted Trump’s request to block the BBC from accessing his financial records, though Trump’s lawyers later indicated they would amend the lawsuit to focus on reputational harm rather than business impacts. Earlier, another judge ruled that Trump must provide records detailing his family trust’s business dealings.
Trump has accused the BBC of using artificial intelligence to manipulate his speech, a claim the network denies. While the BBC has apologized for editing choices, it maintains that Trump’s defamation lawsuit lacks legal merit. The broadcaster is represented by Ballard Spahr, a law firm that has defended other media outlets, including the *New York Times* and *Associated Press*, against similar lawsuits from Trump and his allies.