Miami, Florida - Recent court documents revealed that President Donald Trump and his legal team turned down a request to hand over his financial documents in his ongoing defamation trial against the BBC.
In a court filing submitted on May 30, the BBC requested the president's legal team submit financial papers related to the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, which holds his business interests and assets.
According to The Guardian, Trump's team responded, accusing the BBC of going on a "textbook fishing expedition" with the request, and insisted it "encompasses individuals and entities that have no connection to the issues in dispute."
They also lamented that the request was "unreasonable" because they would have to turn in
"tens of thousands of documents" within 30 days.
Last year, the president launched his lawsuit, which argued that a BBC documentary "maliciously" edited a speech he gave in 2021 moments before the January 6 Capitol riots.
Though the documentary was not aired in the US nor was it available to stream on any platform, Trump is seeking $10 billion in damages.
The BBC's request sought to force Trump's team to provide proof to their claim that the editing caused him to suffer reputational and financial damage.
For years, Trump has refused to publicly release his financial records, despite it being customary for sitting presidents to do so.