By Alexandria Bruell, Alyssa Lukpat
WASHINGTON, DC (WSJ, CONVERSEER) – President Donald Trump sued the BBC for defamation on Monday over the broadcaster’s editing of a documentary that featured his speech before the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The president, who had threatened legal action last month, is seeking $10 billion in damages after accusing the British network of a biased attack on his reputation. He filed the suit against the BBC in federal court in Florida.
The BBC didn’t return a request for comment on Monday. The BBC’s news program “Panorama” ran the documentary “Trump: A Second Chance?” a week before the 2024 U.S. presidential election. The footage combined two sections of Trump’s remarks on Jan. 6, 2021, before the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
He said in his lawsuit that he believed the BBC released the documentary before the election with the “intent of interfering with it and trying to undermine President Trump’s odds of winning reelection.”
Trump said that the network left out a statement in which he called on his supporters to peacefully march to the Capitol.
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In addition to defamation, Trump alleged in his suit that the BBC violated a consumer protection law in Florida. He is claiming billions in damages. The Telegraph newspaper reported last month on an internal BBC memo that said the network edited together clips from two separate parts of the president’s speech in a way that materially misled viewers.
Soon after, the BBC announced the departures of director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness.
The BBC has said its edit of the video incorrectly gave the impression that Trump called for violence at the Capitol.
