Overview
- In a court filing on Friday, the BBC asked a federal judge to subpoena Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner for deposition testimony and documents in President Trump’s $10 billion defamation suit.
- The BBC says the three have direct knowledge about Mr. Trump’s intent when he revised and delivered his Jan. 6, 2021 speech and that their testimony could bear on whether the broadcaster’s 2024 Panorama edit created a materially false impression.
- Multiple attempts to serve subpoenas were blocked, including police stopping service at the Kushners’ Miami home and security refusing delivery at Trump Tower, and a Secret Service lawyer told BBC counsel the agency is not authorized to accept service.
- Because personal service has failed, the BBC asked the court to authorize alternative methods such as certified mail, email, or service on the witnesses’ lawyers after Trump’s team also declined to accept the subpoenas.
- The dispute joins wider discovery fights — including recent orders for limited financial records and Trump’s narrowed complaint — that could spawn appeals or delay evidence collection ahead of the tentative February 2027 trial and affect press‑freedom arguments about large damage awards.