Judge orders Trump to hand over financial records sought by BBC in defamation lawsuit

Defamation cases now focus on a process known as discovery, where both parties present internal or other records that may serve as evidence.

The BBC’s lawyers said the corporation had produced 87,000 pages of documents, but the Trump side only released 735 pages of “news articles” and other “fake productions” they said were “taken from the internet”.

BBC consultant Charles Tobin said this meant the discovery process was “completely one-sided”.

Trump adviser Alejandro Brito described the BBC’s request for documents as “oppressive” and “sweeping.”

He also denied a BBC inquiry into Trump’s conversations with aides related to the Capitol riots, as well as subpoenas issued to federal agencies and former officials.

Trump’s legal team has accused the BBC of “fishing” with subpoenas for “harassment” of former officials.

Much of the argument from Trump’s lawyers focused on a letter BBC chairman Samir Shah sent to the US president in November last year.

In the letter, Shah apologized for the Panorama clip, which he said inadvertently gave the wrong impression that “President Trump directly called for violent action.”

Brito described the letter as an “offer” and “acceptance” by the BBC.

The BBC has already sought to have the entire case dismissed, arguing that the documentary was not broadcast in the US. The court has not yet ruled on this matter.