Donald Trump threatens to sue BBC over edit of January 6 speech

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Donald Trump has threatened to sue the BBC over editing a speech he gave as his supporters stormed the Capitol in Washington, deepening a crisis at the broadcaster that led to the resignation of two top executives.

The BBC said on Monday that the US President had threatened legal action and that the corporation would “respond in due course” to a letter from the Trump administration. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The threat comes after BBC chief Samir Shah admitted on Monday that the broadcaster had made an “error in judgement” in the way it edited the speech delivered by the US president on January 6, 2021.

Shah said the BBC concluded that its edit “gave the impression of a direct call for violence” to his supporters who stormed the Capitol that day.

However, Shah also criticized a leaked memo that highlighted the BBC’s handling of the speech, among other allegations of bias in its coverage, saying it did not provide a “full picture” of the body’s decision-making process.

The memorandum from Michael Prescott, the former political editor of The Sunday Times, led to the resignation of director-general Tim Davie and head of BBC News Deborah Torness on Sunday.

The BBC has been accused of a series of failures in its coverage of Trump, the Gaza war and transgender rights. Prescott claimed that his concerns had been ignored by BBC executives.

Shah said Prescott’s memo, which sparked a crisis at the public broadcaster, was a “personal account” and said it was “not true to say concerns were ignored.”

Downing Street on Monday defended the corporation, expressing its “strong support for a strong, independent BBC”.

Asked whether Sir Keir Starmer believed the BBC was “corrupt”, as Trump claimed, the Prime Minister’s spokesman replied: “No.” He added that Starmer did not believe the broadcaster was institutionally biased.

But UK reform leader Nigel Farage said on Monday that he spoke to Trump on Friday as the BBC crisis unfolded. He said that the US President was “very unhappy” about this, adding: “I think it is very devastating.”

Davie and Turness’ departure came after the White House described the BBC as a “left-wing propaganda machine”.

Trump recently took legal action against various US media outlets. Over the past year, Paramount and ABC agreed to pay $16 million and $15 million, respectively, to settle defamation lawsuits brought by Trump.

One media executive close to the corporation described the dispute as representing a “broader struggle for the soul of the BBC,” adding: “They need a much tougher chair.”

The BBC’s board has also come under intense criticism for its handling of the crisis, which has exposed divisions at the top of the organization and raised allegations of a politically motivated coup against its leadership.

The board, which will decide the next managing director after Davey’s departure, consists of leaders of the company’s key divisions and five government-appointed members.

The agency failed to agree on an apology last week despite efforts by Torness to address the escalating scandal, according to three people familiar with the situation.

Nick Robinson, BBC presenter today “Those at the top of the BBC have seemed paralyzed over the past week – unable to agree on what to say, not just about the editing of Donald Trump’s speech by Panorama, but also about broader allegations of institutional bias,” the BBC program said on Monday.

Former Sun newspaper editor David Yelland described the leak of the letter and its repercussions as a “coup” led by senior members of the BBC.

Liberal Democrat MP Anna Sabin said Davie’s resignation “raises serious questions about whether bad actors are interfering with the BBC’s independence”.

Robinson said a majority of board members appeared to agree with Prescott “that there is a problem of institutional bias reflected in coverage of Donald Trump, Gaza/Israel and transgender rights.”

He added that “this argument was led by one of the board members, Sir Robbie Gibb” – the former communications director for former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May.

BBC executives said Gibb, who was appointed to the board by Boris Johnson’s government in 2021 and previously spent 23 years at the BBC, was not supportive of Torness and her treatment of the newsroom in particular. But they added that he wanted Davey to remain in his position.

Gibb and Prescott are friends, according to people familiar with the situation.

Johnson Prescott’s government also appointed an external consultant to the BBC Standards Council.

One media executive said: “There has been a left-wing bias at the BBC that they are constantly trying to fight, but the solution is not to bring in a right-wing bias.”

Davie has weathered previous crises, including over controversial social media posts by Gary Lineker and allegations involving former presenter Hugh Edwards.