Donald Trump needs to prove he did not “foment or incite” the riot at the US Capitol in Washington DC on 6 January 2021 if he is to win his libel claim, the BBC has told a judge in Florida. To establish President Trump’s “true knowledge, intent, and state of mind” when he delivered a speech to his followers at the end of his first term in office, the broadcaster has demanded information from 47 individuals and organisations, including federal agencies and family members.
The disclosure requests, which Trump’s lawyers have challenged, are the latest preliminary skirmish in the president’s $10 billion defamation case against the BBC ahead of a trial scheduled for next year.
One of the requests is addressed to the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, as sole trustee of The Donald J Trump Revocable Trust which holds the president’s business interests and assets in trust for him.