KEY POINTS
- Trump BBC lawsuit seeks at least $10 billion in damages.
- Case focuses on an edited January 6 speech.
- BBC leadership resigned after renewed scrutiny.
Former US President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit seeking at least $10 billion in damages from the British Broadcasting Corporation, accusing the broadcaster of defamation and deceptive conduct over a documentary that edited his January 6, 2021 speech.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in Miami. It includes two counts against the BBC and seeks no less than $5 billion in damages for each claim. Trump alleges defamation and violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Trump, now 79, said earlier on Monday that legal action was imminent. He accused the broadcaster of altering his words during a speech delivered to supporters before the US Capitol riot. He said the edits changed the meaning of his remarks and falsely suggested he encouraged violence.
The documentary aired last year on the BBC’s Panorama program, the broadcaster’s flagship current affairs show. It was released ahead of the 2024 US presidential election.
The program combined two separate portions of Trump’s January 6 speech. According to the lawsuit, the edit made it appear that Trump directly urged supporters to attack the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.
Trump BBC lawsuit centers on edited speech
A spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said the BBC deliberately altered the footage. The spokesperson accused the broadcaster of acting with intent and malice.
“The formerly respected and now disgraced BBC defamed President Trump by intentionally doctoring his speech,” the statement said. It added that the edit was meant to influence the 2024 election.
The statement also accused the BBC of a pattern of misleading coverage tied to Trump. It said the broadcaster acted to advance a political agenda.
The controversy resurfaced last month after a media report renewed attention on the edited clip. The report triggered internal fallout at the BBC.
The BBC director-general and the organization’s top news executive resigned following the scandal. Their departures came amid scrutiny over editorial oversight and delayed acknowledgment of the error.
Fallout deepens in Trump BBC lawsuit
Trump’s lawsuit says the edited clip was fabricated and broadcast one week before the 2024 election. It claims the timing and content were designed to influence voters against him.
The BBC has denied the defamation claims. However, BBC chairman Samir Shah sent Trump a letter apologizing for the error.
Shah later told a UK parliamentary committee that the broadcaster should have acted sooner. He said the BBC failed to respond promptly after a memo flagged the mistake. That memo was later leaked to The Daily Telegraph.
Acccordinfg to Vanguard, the case adds to a growing list of legal actions Trump has taken against media organizations in recent years. Several of those disputes ended in settlements worth millions of dollars.
The BBC declined further comment on the lawsuit.
