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BBC chair Samir Shah informed staffers on Monday the British broadcaster is determined to fight any lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump, signaling a battle ahead.
Trump has said he plans to sue the British news organization over a documentary about Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech that he delivered before the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The BBC Panorama documentary stitched together remarks the president made nearly an hour apart to make it appear like one long statement inciting a riot, and also omitted Trump urging supporters to protest “peacefully.”
The BBC has been adamant that there is no basis for a defamation claim, and Shah reiterated the message to staffers on Monday.
TRUMP PLANNING LAWSUIT OF UP TO $5 BILLION AGAINST BBC OVER EDITED JAN 6 SPEECH DOCUMENTARY
“There is a lot being written, said and speculated upon about the possibility of legal action, including potential costs or settlements. In all this we are, of course, acutely aware of the privilege of our funding and the need to protect our licence fee payers, the British public. I want to be very clear with you – our position has not changed,” Shah wrote in a memo to staffers that has been obtained by Fox News Digital.
“There is no basis for a defamation case and we are determined to fight this. Last week I took the opportunity to speak with the Executive team and am reassured of their resolute focus on ensuring the BBC continues to deliver on behalf of audiences and staff,” Shah continued. “I know they plan to spend as much time as possible with their teams over the coming weeks to reinforce the importance of that work and answer your questions.”
Last week, the BBC apologized to Trump and said it has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary, but stopped short of owning up to defaming the president. This prompted Trump to tell reporters on Air Force One on Friday that he planned to take legal action and would sue for between a billion and $5 billion.
BBC SAYS IT HAS NOT HEARD FROM TRUMP’S LEGAL TEAM SINCE THREAT OF $5 BILLION LAWSUIT
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness both resigned in the fallout.
Prior to the BBC’s apology, Trump’s litigation counsel sent a notice of intent to bring a civil action lawsuit to Shah, along with general counsel Sarah Jones. The letter, which was first obtained by Fox News Digital, demands that “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements” made about Trump must be retracted immediately.
Trump’s legal team demanded the BBC offer “a full and fair retraction of the documentary and any and all other false, defamatory, disparaging, misleading, and inflammatory statements about President Trump in as conspicuous a manner as they were originally published,” an immediate apology and compensation.
BBC APOLOGIZES TO TRUMP AMID $1 BILLION LEGAL THREAT
While the BBC appears unwilling to play ball, Trump has managed to score large settlements from CBS and ABC over the past 12 months, although critics say it’s been about their respective parent companies trying to curry favor with the administration.
Trump’s legal team referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s comments, implying a lawsuit remained imminent.
Fox News Digital’s David Rutz contributed to this report.
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