The BBC has demanded that Donald Trump hand over his personal text messages in a £10bn (£7.5bn) defamation lawsuit over his alleged involvement in the January 6 riots in Washington.

The broadcaster’s lawyers are seeking to prove in court that the US president should be held responsible for encouraging his supporters to storm the US Capitol following his 2020 election defeat.

In their legal document, the BBC said: “In [his] lawsuit, President Trump claims that the BBC defamed him by editing his speech at the White House Ellipse on January 6, 2021 in a manner that he claims conveyed the allegedly false implication that he fomented the violence that followed at the Capitol.

“Thus, as the BBC explained and the government does not dispute, President Trump cannot prevail in his case if he cannot establish the falsity of that alleged implication.”

  • nomad@infosec.pub
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    6
    ·
    2 days ago

    Won’t work and they know it. Trump likely never put out anything concrete that lead to this. Like Hitler he just implied what he would like to happen and his underlings delivered. And in a multi level boot licking contest this escalates very quickly through the levels downwards. So the killings start on the foot soldier levels like ice.

    Hitler very likely never explicitly ordered the factory killings in the concentration camps. He just implied he would like the Jews gone and never asked too specifically where they were are vanishing to.

    • Tango@piefed.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      2 days ago

      That would matter in a criminal prosecution where guilt must be proven beyond all reasonable doubt. However in a civil suit, all the BBC needs to do is convince a jury.

      • nomad@infosec.pub
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        2 days ago

        To convince a lower judge to do what exactly? Issue an order for trump and his cronies to ignore and get away with it? Or maybe escalate that shit to the rigged supreme court?