The BBC has filed a motion seeking court authorization to subpoena Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner as part of its defense against President Trump’s defamation lawsuit over a documentary covering the January 6 Capitol riot. The filing, submitted on Friday, asks for permission to compel testimony and records from Trump’s two eldest children and his son-in-law regarding the events of 6 January 2021. The broadcaster argues the material is necessary to establish what Trump intended when he addressed supporters that day and how his audience likely interpreted his words.
Trump brought the lawsuit against the BBC in December after taking issue with the network’s 2024 film, Trump, A Second Chance?, which he says spliced together portions of his January 6 speech to make it appear as though he had directly instructed the crowd to storm the Capitol. According to reporting from CNBC, the total claim amounts to $10 billion, combining a defamation count with allegations under Florida’s deceptive trade practices statute.
Why does the BBC want testimony from Trump’s family?
The network’s lawyers contend that Trump’s children and son-in-law possess direct knowledge of key moments from that day, including Trump’s attempt to persuade then-Vice President Mike Pence not to certify the 2020 election results. The BBC also claims Kushner participated in drafting a statement meant to condemn the violence at the Capitol. In court filings, the broadcaster’s attorneys wrote that it is entitled to discover:
the intention behind the speech and anything that bears on the impression his audience could have reasonably obtained in listening to the speech, which includes whether Trump gave it intentionally or otherwise; the breadth of the audience of the message and impression; and the extent of any resulting injury or harm.
The BBC states it had previously attempted to serve subpoenas on Ivanka Trump and Kushner at their Florida residence but was prevented from doing so by law enforcement, since the pair are shielded by Secret Service protection as immediate relatives of the sitting president.
How does this fit into the broader legal fight?
This subpoena effort follows a series of escalating discovery disputes between Trump and the network. According to Bloomberg, a federal judge had already rejected an earlier attempt by Trump to prevent the BBC from issuing subpoenas to members of his inner circle, a ruling that bolstered the broadcaster’s ability to pursue discovery. Separately, Bloomberg has also reported that the BBC has issued a total of 47 subpoenas across Trump’s family, cabinet officials, the Justice Department and other federal agencies as part of the case.
This case is one of several legal battles Trump’s inner circle is currently pursuing against media organizations, as detailed in our earlier coverage of subpoenas issued to New York Times journalists over reporting on Air Force One security concerns. The administration has similarly pressed the Wall Street Journal with a separate $10 billion suit tied to its reporting on Trump’s alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday book.
What changed with Trump’s financial records?
Last week, a federal judge agreed to pause the broadcaster’s access to Trump’s financial documents after his legal team indicated it would revise the lawsuit to focus solely on reputational harm rather than business impact, a shift we previously reported in our story on the pause on Trump’s financial-records disclosure. That decision followed an earlier ruling requiring Trump to begin turning over records detailing the numerous businesses held by his family trust. According to Bloomberg, Trump has since won court permission to amend the suit to drop claims tied to brand and business damage, a move that could narrow the scope of material the BBC is able to obtain through discovery going forward.
Trump has also publicly claimed the BBC used artificial intelligence to manipulate his speech, an assertion the network denies. While the BBC has issued an apology over how the footage was edited, it maintains that Trump does not have adequate legal grounds to sustain a defamation claim. The BBC is being represented by the law firm Ballard Spahr, which has also defended other outlets targeted by Trump-related litigation, including the New York Times and the Associated Press.
What happens next?
According to Bloomberg, the next procedural step is likely to center on how Trump’s narrowed complaint affects the scope of discovery following the August 10 ruling. The overall case remains scheduled for trial in February 2027, according to a report from the British broadcaster’s own coverage, though the timeline could shift depending on how the court handles the amended claims. Trump’s legal team has not yet responded to requests for comment on the latest subpoena motion.
- The BBC seeks subpoenas for Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner over the events of 6 January 2021.
- Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit combines defamation and Florida deceptive-trade-practices claims, per CNBC.
- The BBC has issued 47 subpoenas total across Trump’s family and federal agencies, according to Bloomberg.
- A judge previously rejected Trump’s attempt to block subpoenas to his inner circle.
- The case is currently set for trial in February 2027.
