Jonathan Turley Dumps Cold Water On Trump’s Chances In BBC Lawsuit — But Says There’s Hope Across The Pond

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley warned on Monday that President Donald Trump’s chances of winning a lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) could be slim, though he argued that success could be found if he sued the network in the United Kingdom.

Trump said on Friday that he will likely sue the British government-funded BBC for up to $5 billion after they admitted to splicing two separate clips of the president’s speech together in a 2024 documentary about the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Turley said on Fox News’ “America Reports” that Trump is more likely to prove actual malice against BBC in the United Kingdom due to the U.S.’ protective standards for media organizations.

“Well, there’s no question the president is right that this was misleading. It’s also very difficult to see how anyone editing those tapes could have believed that this represented what the president actually said. He made two points that were deleted,” Turley said. “One is we’re going to go peacefully to Capitol Hill, and second, the purpose was to cheer on our allies.Those would seem rather material points for any legitimate news organization … The problem is the legal standard. The irony is that the better place to file would be the United Kingdom.”

“It’s easier to bring a defamation case there,but this case is probably a bit too late to file over in London.So they’re likely to file here in the United States, but we have a much more protective standard for the media and for free speechunder what’s called the actual malice standard in a case called New York Times v. Sullivan,” Turley continued. 

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