In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team said the BBC had “intentionally defamed” the president and that with its subpoena request it was now “seeking to harass him, his family and his supporters by abusing the deposition process.” “The BBC is simply trying to distract from its own obvious responsibility,” the statement said. BBC lawyers argue in the latest filing that Trump’s relatives had “personal knowledge” of his intentions in making the speech, making their testimony and documents relevant to the president’s defamation claim. Drawing on evidence previously collected by a US Congressional committee, the document says Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump were present when their father reviewed and delivered his speech, and adds that Jared Kushner drafted a proposed statement for him that would have condemned the use of violence. The document asks the court to allow subpoenas to be served by email and certified mail, saying attempts to hand-deliver them were unsuccessful. A subpoena is an order for someone to answer questions under oath or provide evidence. Failure to comply results in a penalty. According to court documents, in one case, a representative of the BBC’s legal team attempted to serve a subpoena for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner at their home in Florida, but was denied entry at a police checkpoint and then told by the Secret Service that the agency could not accept the subpoenas. Similarly, according to the filing, a representative attempted to deliver a subpoena to Donald Trump Jr at Trump Tower in New York, but was told by the concierge that the person who normally took those documents might have been having lunch. During another attempt two days later, the representative was told the “legal department” was not there that day, according to the filing. Trump’s legal team has been contacted for comment. The BBC press office declined to comment.
