EVASIVE MEASURES

Ivanka and Jared Dragged Into Trump’s $10B Shakedown Lawsuit

The couple has already dodged one attempt to be served subpoenas.

Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner are being sought to testify in Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the BBC, but they have so far avoided being served.

In May, lawyers for the British broadcaster tried to serve subpoenas to the couple at their home in Miami, according to court filings, but they were blocked by police.

The 80-year-old president filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the BBC over a documentary the network aired about the Jan. 6 riot, in which an edited version of the speech he gave during the rally before the riot was screened. Trump’s lawsuit claims the edits made it appear as though his speech had spurred the crowd on, encouraging them to riot on the Capitol.

He maintains he never encouraged the riot, and is demanding billions in damages.

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The BBC has acknowledged that the footage of the speech was edited, but disputes that the edit changed its meaning.

In the broadcaster’s attempt to defend itself, lawyers for the BBC have sought testimony from, and documentation held by, people close to Trump, who were there when the speech was being drafted and in the hours leading up to its delivery.

That includes Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump, Jr.

But attempts to legally compel the cooperation of those three figures through subpoenas have so far been stymied.

“The third parties have personal knowledge and likely have possession, custody, or control of records relevant to multiple elements of Plaintiff’s claims against the BBC, yet the BBC has been unable to serve them with Rule 45 subpoenas because the Third Parties — Plaintiff’s eldest son, eldest daughter, eldest son-in-law — are protected by the United States Secret Service as members of the sitting president’s immediate family,” lawyers for the BBC wrote in a motion to the court on Friday.

The BBC is asking the United States District Court in Miami to allow them to serve the Trumps and Kushner via mail, or some other third party way, since it is impossible to deliver a subpoena in person.

Not only has the BBC not been able physically to serve the Trumps, but requests to allow the Secret Service to accept the documents, or to allow Trump senior’s legal team to do so, have been rebuffed, the motion filing said.

“Specifically, law enforcement officers prevented the BBC’s process server from effecting service on Mr. Kushner and Ms. Trump at their home in Florida, and directed the BBC to coordinate service through the U.S. Secret Service,” the motion says.

The Secret Service then told the BBC’s lawyers it would not help them.

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“The United States Secret Service, as an agency of the United States Government, is not authorized 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,” the motion quoted the Secret Service’s General Counsel as saying.

President Trump’s legal team is opposed to the motion that would allow the younger Trumps to be subpoenaed, the BBC’s lawyers added.

The White House, the BBC’s legal team, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, and Donald Trump Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Sarah-Jane CollinsReporter

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