President Donald Trump has been ordered to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC. U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett set a Dec. 11 deadline for Trump’s appearance.
The order carries a serious warning: Trump could face sanctions up to dismissal of his lawsuit if he does not sit for the deposition, unless the discovery period is extended past Dec. 18.
Trump filed the defamation case against the BBC last December. The dispute centers on allegations about the way the network edited his January 6 speech. According to The Telegraph, an internal whistleblower memo said the BBC had “doctored” Trump’s speech to make it sound as though he encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”
The report also draws comparisons to criticism of former Special Counsel Jack Smith and members of the January 6 Committee, alleging that they left out Trump’s call for supporters to protest “peacefully and patriotically.”
Attorney Alan Dershowitz recently criticized the way Trump’s speech was presented. “Jack Smith lied. In his indictment, he outlines the speech that Donald Trump made on January 6. It’s a very important part of the indictment. [Jack Smith] deliberately, wilfully, and with malice leaves out the keywords! He doctors the speech!”
Dershowitz added, “He leaves out the part that Donald Trump said, ‘I want you to protest peacefully and patriotically.’ – Peacefully and patriotically. Those are the two words that bring him within the First Amendment!”
The Associated Press reported that the judge’s order came after BBC lawyers complained that Trump had delayed his appearance. Attorney Charles Tobin said that with two months left in the discovery period, “we still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff.”
Lett said Trump must sit for the deposition by Dec. 11 or face sanctions up to dismissal of the lawsuit, unless the discovery period is extended beyond Dec. 18.
Source: The Gateway Pundit