Judge Orders President Trump to Face Questioning in Media Lawsuit

2026-10-23 politics

Washington, Thursday, 22 October 2026.
A judge ordered President Trump to sit for a videotaped deposition by December 11 in his $10 billion BBC lawsuit, warning the case could be dismissed if he fails to comply.

Federal Mandate for Deposition

A federal judge has issued a direct order for President Donald Trump to sit for a videotaped deposition by December 11, 2026, in connection with his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) [1][2]. U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett delivered the order on Thursday, October 22, 2026, warning that failure to comply could result in sanctions up to and including dismissal of the case [5][7]. The President now has 50 days from today to complete the seven-hour questioning session before the discovery period concludes [5][8]. This legal mandate underscores the high stakes involved, as the lawsuit centers on allegations that the BBC misleadingly edited footage of Trump’s January 6, 2021, speech at the Ellipse [3][4].

Campaign Conflicts and Scheduling

The court’s deadline follows a canceled deposition scheduled for October 16, 2026, which Trump’s legal team called off citing matters of national importance [1][2]. However, BBC attorneys argued in court that the President was actually participating in party politics, attending a campaign rally in Dalton, Georgia, and a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago in Florida on that date [2][3]. Trump’s lawyers had proposed rescheduling the deposition for January 2027, but Judge Lett indicated this was too late given the discovery closure date [4][5]. The BBC’s legal representative Charles Tobin noted the imbalance in discovery, stating they have not yet been able to depose the plaintiff despite the lawsuit being filed in December 2025 [1][3].

Discovery Disputes and Evidence

Beyond the deposition, the court is managing significant disputes over evidence, including a subpoena for former special counsel Jack Smith and records regarding Mar-a-Lago membership fees [1][8]. Judge Lett expressed dissatisfaction with the thoroughness of the document search conducted by the President’s team, ordering the production of relevant internal documents within 30 days [5][7]. While the BBC apologized in November 2025 for creating a mistaken impression regarding the speech continuity, they maintain the documentary did not meet the legal criteria for defamation [3][4]. The discovery period is scheduled to end on December 18, 2026, putting pressure on both parties to finalize evidence collection before the new year [5][8].

Sources

Media Regulation Defamation Litigation