Trump threatens BBC with $1b lawsuit

WASHINGTON:

US President Donald Trump has threatened the BBC with a $1 billion lawsuit over the "defamatory, malicious" editing of a speech he gave just before the 2021 US Capitol riots, according to a letter obtained by AFP.

Trump's lawyers gave the British broadcaster a deadline of Friday to fully retract the documentary containing the edit, apologize and "appropriately compensate" the president "for the harm caused."

If the BBC fails to comply "President Trump will be left with no alternative but to enforce his legal and equitable rights... including by filing legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) in damages," it said.

"The BBC is on notice. PLEASE GOVERN YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY."

The director general of the BBC announced his resignation Sunday over the row, after accusations that a documentary by its flagship Panorama program last year had edited a speech by Trump in a misleading way.