Former US President Donald Trump’s legal team is seeking to compel Jonathan Munro, the interim chief executive of BBC News and Current Affairs, to testify in a $10 billion defamation lawsuit filed against the broadcaster. The suit centers on allegations that a BBC Panorama documentary misleadingly edited portions of a speech Trump delivered prior to the January 6 Capitol riot, thereby defaming him.

Trump’s lawyers aim to question Munro about the BBC’s editorial choices, internal handling of the case, and related communications. Should Munro decline to cooperate voluntarily, the legal team may request the High Court in London to issue a formal order compelling his testimony. Tim Davie, the former BBC director-general who resigned amid the controversy, is also expected to be called to testify. Sources familiar with the case indicated that Trump’s lawyers are prepared to travel to the United Kingdom to depose both executives, although no formal request has yet been issued.

The lawsuit is being adjudicated in the Southern District of Florida. Earlier this year, in February, the BBC’s attempt to dismiss the case was unsuccessful. On July 21, a federal magistrate judge ordered Trump to provide detailed financial disclosures related to his businesses and properties as part of efforts to substantiate his claim for damages. However, the judge limited the broadcaster’s ability to dictate which specific financial records must be submitted. Trump’s legal team previously argued that demands for his financial documents were overly broad and amounted to a "fishing expedition" by the BBC.

In response to the lawsuit and public criticism, the BBC issued an apology for the Panorama documentary and removed it from all its platforms, but it has maintained that it has not defamed the former president. The outcome of the case and the potential depositions of senior BBC executives will further shape the legal battle between the ex-president and the British broadcaster.