Trump Files Emergency Motion
President Trump is seeking to block the BBC from gaining access to financial records connected to his business empire, with his legal team filing an emergency motion Wednesday to stop the disclosure.
The request comes after a judge approved the British broadcaster’s effort to obtain financial documents as part of an ongoing lawsuit stemming from a Panorama episode titled “Trump: A Second Chance?”
Trump alleges the documentary falsely portrayed him by combining separate portions of a speech to make it appear he encouraged the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
In the emergency filing, Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, argued that the BBC’s subpoena is overly broad and seeks confidential financial, ownership and tax records tied to roughly 400 entities held by the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust.
Brito argued that once those documents are turned over, the disclosure cannot be reversed, even if Trump’s objections are later upheld.
If the motion is denied, the BBC could gain access to records involving Trump’s cryptocurrency and stock earnings, along with financial transactions and business records tied to hundreds of companies and assets managed through his family trust.
Last month, Judge Enjoliqué Aytch Lett authorized the BBC’s subpoena, ordering the trust to begin producing documents dating back to Jan. 1, 2023.
Under that ruling, the trust is required to begin turning over records by Thursday.
In the filing, Trump’s attorneys argued that delaying production would not harm the BBC because fact discovery in the case remains open for several more months.
“Against the Trust’s irreversible injury, the BBC cannot point to any injury, only to brief delay,” Brito wrote, adding that the broadcaster has never explained why it needs access to a non-party’s financial records on such short notice.
The BBC has acknowledged and apologized for the documentary editing at the center of the dispute but has rejected Trump’s demand for damages. The broadcaster has also sought to have the lawsuit dismissed, arguing that U.S. courts do not have jurisdiction over the British media organization.
Trump has continued pursuing the case and recently asked the court for permission to amend his lawsuit in an effort to further protect his financial records from disclosure.
