The BBC has been accused of being “secretive” for refusing to reveal how much licence fee payer cash is being spent on fighting President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit.
Corporation lawyers have rejected bids to disclose the figure, arguing doing so would create an “unnecessary distraction” and compromise their legal position.
The US President is pursuing the broadcaster over allegations a Panorama documentary was edited in a way that suggested he endorsed the January 6 Capitol riots in 2021.
Mr Trump’s lawyers previously called the edit “false and defamatory” and claimed the BBC doctored his speech to sway voters in accordance with a “leftist political agenda”.
The revelations over the Panorama edit sparked a crisis at the BBC, leading to the resignations of director-general Tim Davie and the chief executive of news, Deborah Turness.
The broadcaster has submitted an application seeking to have Mr Trump’s lawsuit dismissed before it reaches court.
BBC lawyers have claimed that the venue of the court is “improper” and the President has “failed to state a claim”, according to the documents.
It will also argue the Panorama episode was not produced, created or broadcast in Florida, which Mr Trump’s team disputes based on the programme’s apparent availability on the BritBox streaming service.
The BBC has been slammed for refusing to share how much money it has spent on fighting Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit
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If this bid fails, the case will proceed to a full trial in a Florida court in Febuary 2027.
However, a Freedom of Information request by The Sun, asking the BBC to reveal how much the corporation has spent on its legal defence, has been rejected.
The move prompted fury from some quarters, including Conservative MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke, who hit out at the broadcaster’s lack of “accountability”.
“The BBC boasts it is owned by the public, but doesn’t want to be accountable to it,” he said.
The President says a BBC documentary was edited in a way that suggested he endorsed the January 6 Capitol riots
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He said: “Secrecy has undone the BBC so many times; why is it not learning those lessons?”
In correspondence to the request, lawyers said: “Information within the scope of the request is held by the BBC.”
However, they maintained releasing such figures during active litigation would hamper their ability to engage in the legal proceedings.
The legal team warned disclosure would spark media speculation and force the broadcaster to redirect resources away from the case itself.
BBC lawyers argued Donald Trump’s representatives could exploit the cost information if it was revealed
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Furthermore, the lawyers argued Mr Trump’s representatives could exploit the cost information if it was revealed.
“It is likely to provide information that is useful to President Trump’s legal team, to the detriment of the BBC,” lawyers said.
They suggested through successive FOI requests, the US leader’s team could shape its courtroom strategy and strengthen its negotiating position.
The BBC concluded keeping the exemption in place serves the public interest more than transparency would.