Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in BBC lawsuit
Trump is suing the BBC over an episode of Panorama that edited together two different sections of a speech he gave in 2021.
Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in BBC lawsuit
A US judge has directed President Donald Trump to give sworn testimony in his defamation case against the BBC by 11 December.
Trump is suing the BBC over a Panorama episode that combined two separate parts of a speech he delivered before the 2021 riot at the US Capitol.
Charles Tobin, a lawyer for the BBC, told the court that "we still haven't been able to depose the plaintiff" with two months remaining in the discovery period.
Trump had previously cancelled a deposition scheduled for 16 October, saying he had "matters of national importance" while campaigning in Georgia.
US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett, who is overseeing the case, said Trump must appear for the deposition by 11 December unless the discovery period is extended.
Last week, lawyers asked Lett to order Trump to sit for a deposition after the latest scheduled meeting failed to happen.
That same day, Trump was at a midterms campaign rally in Dalton, Georgia, and also attended a fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida.
In a separate filing on Wednesday, Trump's lawyers said the president could take part in the interview between 11 and 22 January next year, and argued that the BBC was "wrong to claim that President Trump is avoiding his deposition in this action."
Trump's lawsuit, filed in Florida, accuses the BBC of "intentionally, maliciously, and deceptively doctoring" the speech he made outside the Capitol on 6 January 2021.
The BBC apologised for the mistake and said the broadcast created "the mistaken impression that President Trump made a direct call for violent action".
The broadcaster has since asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the programme does not satisfy the legal standard for defamation and was not available in the US.
In July, Trump's lawyers admitted they had no evidence that the documentary was available in the US on the BBC's BritBox subscription service, as they had originally claimed, or on the BBC's website, BBC select, or through US broadcasters.
Trump eventually agreed to drop the lawsuit against BBC Studios, its commercial arm, after the BBC said it had "no role in creating or producing the documentary.