BBC says Trump produced only 735 pages while it handed over 87,000
A federal judge in Miami on Tuesday ruled that President Donald Trump must hand over financial records from his revocable trust to the BBC as the broadcaster defends itself against his $10 billion defamation lawsuit. The order from Judge Enjoliqué Lett came during the first hearing in the case.
The judge granted a motion by the BBC’s legal team to compel the release of financial records held by the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, which Trump created to manage his businesses while he is president. The ruling can be appealed, according to court documents.
The judge issued a split decision on a separate BBC request for documents relating to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot itself, the BBC reported.
The defamation case is currently focused on discovery, the pretrial process in which both sides exchange internal records that could form evidence. BBC lawyer Charles Tobin told the court the broadcaster had produced 87,000 pages of documents, while Trump’s side had released only 735 pages, which Tobin called a “sham production” consisting of “news articles” and other material “pulled from the internet.” Tobin said this meant the discovery process had been “entirely one-sided.”
Trump’s lawyer, Alejandro Brito, described the BBC’s document requests as “oppressive” and “sweeping.” He also opposed requests for records about Trump’s conversations with aides relating to the Capitol riot, as well as subpoenas issued to federal agencies and former officials. Trump’s legal team accused the BBC of conducting a “fishing expedition” with subpoenas meant to “harass” former officials.
Much of the argument from Trump’s lawyers focused on a letter sent by BBC Chairman Samir Shah to Trump in November 2025. In the letter, Shah apologized for the Panorama clip, which he said unintentionally gave the “mistaken impression that President Trump made a direct call for violent action.” Brito described the letter as a “concession” and “admission” by the BBC.
Trump filed the defamation lawsuit in December 2025, alleging the BBC’s Panorama episode edited together different sections of his speech on Jan. 6, 2021, in a way that falsely portrayed him. The BBC has sought to have the entire case dismissed on the grounds that the documentary was not broadcast in the United States. The court has yet to rule on that motion.