BBC Seeks Trump Family Testimony in $10B Defamation Case

Efforts to serve the subpoenas have already run into obstacles. Court filings indicate the BBC attempted to serve subpoenas at Kushner and Ivanka Trump's Miami home in May, but police prevented the attempt. Troy Epstein, a lawyer for the U.S. Secret Service, subsequently told the BBC's lawyers by email that the agency could not accept the subpoenas on behalf of the family members.

“The United States Secret Service, as an agency of the United States Government, is not authorised to accept service of these subpoenas for these individuals, nor can we opine on how you all may best facilitate or effectuate service of these subpoenas,” Epstein wrote.

A separate attempt to serve Donald Trump Jr. at the Trump Organization's offices in Trump Tower, New York, was also unsuccessful. In a motion filed on Friday in federal court in Miami, BBC lawyers said Trump's legal team had also declined to accept the subpoenas. The broadcaster is now asking the court either to authorise service by mail or to determine that serving the subpoenas through President Trump's lawyers would be sufficient.

The BBC argues that testimony from the three family members could help establish what Trump intended when he delivered the Jan. 6 speech and provide evidence relevant to the defamation claims. Representatives for Trump, the three family members and the president's legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The court will now consider the BBC's request concerning how the subpoenas can be served as the wider defamation case continues.