Trump Family Under Threat

BBC Seeks to Subpoena Trump Family Members in $10 Billion Defamation Case

The BBC is asking a federal court for permission to subpoena three members of President Donald Trump’s family as the broadcaster prepares its defense against his $10 billion defamation lawsuit.

In a court filing Friday, BBC attorneys argued that Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner could have information and records relevant to the case. The broadcaster is seeking access to material it believes could help defend itself against Trump’s allegations.

The lawsuit centers on a BBC documentary involving Trump’s speech outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump has accused the broadcaster of misleading viewers by editing separate portions of his speech together in a way that made it appear he directly encouraged supporters to attack the Capitol.

The BBC apologized for the editing in 2025, roughly a year after the documentary was released and after Trump threatened legal action. Despite the apology, the broadcaster has continued to dispute Trump’s broader claim that the editing amounted to defamation.

The BBC’s latest filing focuses largely on its difficulty serving subpoenas on the three Trump family members.

According to the filing, BBC lawyers attempted to serve subpoenas on Kushner and Ivanka Trump at their Florida residence. They said law enforcement officers prevented them from doing so and directed the attorneys to the U.S. Secret Service instead.

A Secret Service attorney subsequently informed the BBC that the agency could not accept subpoenas on behalf of the individuals involved. The agency also said it could not advise the BBC on how to properly serve the documents.

The BBC’s lawyers encountered similar problems when they attempted to serve Donald Trump Jr. at both his Trump Tower office and his home.

With traditional service proving difficult, the BBC is now asking the court to authorize alternative methods for delivering the subpoenas. Those methods could include sending the documents by email or mail or providing notice through the witnesses’ attorneys.

The broadcaster argues that the unusual circumstances surrounding service should not prevent it from obtaining potentially relevant evidence.

The legal fight is unfolding as Trump continues to pursue his massive defamation claim against the BBC. The case centers on whether the broadcaster’s editing of his Jan. 6 speech crossed the line from journalistic error into legally actionable defamation.

The BBC’s request does not mean the three Trump family members have been ordered to provide testimony or records. The court must first decide whether to allow the alternative methods of serving the subpoenas.

For now, the dispute adds another unusual element to a case that has already generated significant attention over the BBC’s handling of Trump’s speech and its subsequent apology.