Trump's $10B BBC defamation suit backfires as judge allows subpoenas of his inner circle

Published Jul 22, 05:13 PM UTC

President Donald Trump's $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC has backfired after U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett ruled that the BBC can subpoena Trump's closest advisers and confidants, including family members, Stephen Miller, and Steve Bannon, to determine his actual goals on January 6, 2021. The lawsuit stemmed from a 2024 BBC Panorama episode titled 'Trump, a Second Chance,' which Trump claimed defamed him by editing his January 6 speech to highlight his 'fight like hell' comment while omitting his call for peaceful protest. The BBC had apologized but refused to pay damages. Judge Lett also ordered Trump to hand over hundreds of financial records from his family trust's more than 400 companies, arguing that Trump's claims of reputational and economic damage to his businesses opened them to investigation. The ruling marks a significant legal setback for Trump, who previously secured payoffs in similar cases against CBS and ABC.