The British Broadcasting Corporation wants answers about what Trump was thinking before his fiery January 6 speech that helped set off the storming of the U.S. Capitol. So it’s trying to question three people who were right there with him. There’s just one problem: Nobody can seem to find them.
Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. aren’t exactly making themselves easy to find.
The BBC says it has been trying to serve subpoenas on all three as part of its defense against President Donald Trump’s $10 billion defamation lawsuit over a documentary about his January 6, 2021, speech.
So far, the broadcaster hasn’t been able to do it.
And now it’s asking a federal judge in Miami for permission to serve the subpoenas another way.
According to a BBC court filing, a process server tried to serve Ivanka Trump and Kushner at their Florida home.
The attempt didn’t go anywhere. Law enforcement officers stopped the process server and directed the BBC to coordinate with the U.S. Secret Service, which protects the president’s immediate family.
The BBC says it tried that route too.
The Secret Service’s answer?
It wouldn’t accept the subpoenas.
According to the BBC’s filing, the agency’s general counsel said the Secret Service is “not authorized to accept service of these subpoenas” for Ivanka, Kushner or Trump Jr.
The BBC also tried to serve Trump Jr. at the Trump Organization’s offices in Trump Tower in New York.
That didn’t work either.
So now the broadcaster is asking the U.S. District Court in Miami to let it serve the three family members through alternative methods, including mail or another third party.
Why does the BBC want Trump’s family?
Because the network says they may know what Trump was actually thinking when he gave the speech at the Ellipse on January 6.
The BBC argues that Ivanka, Kushner and Trump Jr. were around Trump while the speech was being prepared and in the hours leading up to its delivery.
That could make them important witnesses in Trump’s lawsuit.
The case centers on a 2024 BBC documentary that edited together separate portions of Trump’s January 6 speech.
The documentary combined Trump’s remarks about walking to the Capitol with another portion in which he said he would walk there with his supporters.
The edit made it appear as though Trump said:
“We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and I’ll be there with you.”
Those words weren’t delivered together in Trump’s actual speech.
Later in the speech, Trump told his supporters to “fight like hell” and warned that they would not have a country anymore if they didn’t.
The BBC has acknowledged that its editing created a misleading impression and apologized.
But the broadcaster argues that the editing mistake doesn’t automatically make Trump entitled to billions of dollars in damages.
And that’s where the subpoenas come in.
Trump doesn’t want them testifying
Trump’s legal team opposes the BBC’s effort to subpoena the three family members, according to the court filing.
The BBC argues that the family members have relevant information about Trump’s intentions and the circumstances surrounding the speech.
Trump’s lawyers apparently don’t want the broadcaster digging into that.
Representatives for Ivanka Trump, Kushner and Trump Jr. did not respond to requests for comment cited in the report.
Now the BBC wants a judge to break the stalemate.
The network has asked the court to allow it to serve the subpoenas by mail or another method that doesn’t require physically tracking down Trump’s family members.
A $10 billion lawsuit is hanging over all of this
Trump is seeking $10 billion from the BBC, arguing that the documentary defamed him by misleadingly editing his January 6 speech.
The BBC has already admitted it made a mistake. But it hasn’t conceded Trump’s broader legal claim.
Instead, it’s trying to gather evidence that could help it defend itself — even if that means going after three people who happen to be among the president’s closest family members.
For now, the BBC says it can’t serve them because they’re protected by the Secret Service.
The Secret Service says it won’t accept the subpoenas.
And Trump’s lawyers don’t want the subpoenas served.
So the BBC has gone to court.
If the judge gives the green light, Ivanka, Kushner and Trump Jr. may soon find that going into hiding isn’t going to make those subpoenas disappear.
