Former President Donald Trump stated Friday his intention to launch a lawsuit against the BBC concerning an edit of his Jan. 6, 2021, address featured in the investigative documentary series Panorama, according to the news outlet.
“We will likely sue them for somewhere between a billion and $5 billion sometime next week,” Trump informed journalists aboard Air Force One Friday night.
He added that he intends to discuss the matter with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during the weekend, BBC News reported.
“Lawyers from the BBC have responded to President Trump’s legal team regarding a letter received on Sunday,” a BBC spokesperson stated Thursday. “BBC chair Samir Shah has also sent a separate personal letter to the White House, assuring President Trump that he and the organization regret the editing of the president’s speech on January 6, 2021, as it appeared in the program.”
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The spokesperson mentioned there are “no plans” to re-air the controversial documentary on any BBC platforms.
“While the BBC deeply regrets how the video clip was edited, we firmly disagree that a defamation claim is warranted,” the spokesperson added.
The British news organization has faced criticism over a BBC Panorama documentary focusing on Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech delivered prior to the U.S. Capitol attack. Critics argue the documentary was deceptive because it omitted Trump’s call for supporters to protest “peacefully” and combined statements he made almost an hour apart to present them as a single, continuous remark.
The BBC stated Friday that the edit unintentionally gave “the false impression that President Trump directly incited violent action.”
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Trump had previously threatened legal action if the “false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements” were not immediately retracted.
The controversy resulted in the resignations of BBC News CEO Deborah Turness and BBC director-general Tim Davie.
“I resigned over the weekend because I take responsibility. However, I want to emphasize that BBC News is not biased institutionally,” Turness told reporters outside the BBC headquarters in London on Monday.
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“Our journalists are not corrupt. They are dedicated individuals who strive for impartiality, and I support their journalism,” she added. “There is no institutional bias. Mistakes happen.”
Fox News Digital has contacted both the White House and the BBC for their comments.
