Donald Trump says BBC harassed his family by 'abusing the deposition process'

Donald Trump has hit back after the BBC failed to subpoena his family.

The President accused the broadcaster of harassment in its attempts to serve legal papers to force Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law Jared Kushner to testify in the President's $10billion defamation lawsuit.

After multiple failed attempts to serve Mr Trump's family, the BBC is now appealing to the courts for an alternative method to serve the court documents.

A spokesman for Mr Trump's legal told The Telegraph: "The BBC intentionally defamed President Donald J Trump, and now the BBC is seeking to harass him, his family, and supporters by abusing the deposition process.

"The BBC is simply trying to distract away from their own obvious liability."

Mr Trump's is seeking $10billion (£7.4billion) against the broadcaster for damages to his "brand, properties and business" after sections of his January 6 speech in a Panorama documentary were spliced together.

The editing made it seem as if he was advocating for his supporters to storm the Capitol, when in fact, he was asking supporters to demonstrate peacefully.

The statement from the President's legal team follows revelations the BBC failed to serve his family members at several locations, including outside Trump Tower.

The broadcaster claims all three family members have "personal knowledge and likely have possession, custody, or control of records relevant to multiple elements of Plaintiff’s claims against the BBC", according to court documents filed in the US District Court in Florida on Friday.

But the broadcaster has been thwarted by the US Secret Service, which protects the family members of the President.

The BBC attempted to subpoena Mr Trump Jr, in New York's Trump Tower, but failed after being told the "legal department" was not in.

A separate incident to serve him was stopped by the Trump Tower's security team.

The BBC also attempted to serve Mr Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Mr Kushner, at their home in Florida but were blocked by law enforcement.

In the US, subpoenas must be delivered in-person, hand-to-hand, unless an exception from the court is granted.

The BBC has now asked for alternative methods to serve the subpoenas through methods including email, mail and notice to the witnesses' lawyers.

The broadcaster has attempted to have the case thrown out, challenging the jurisdiction of Florida courts, arguing it never aired in the state.

Former BBC insider John Mair previously told GB News that Donald Trump had "no case".

But earlier this week, the broadcaster's internal analytics revealed it had been played at least 34 times in the state.

The BBC has also requested some of the President's financial records to be turned over in a motion which has been paused.

A trial date has been set for February 2027 in Florida.