BBC Seeks Jack Smith Deposition in Trump Lawsuit

The BBC is asking a federal court for permission to depose former special counsel Jack Smith as it defends against President Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit over a documentary edit of his January 6, 2021, speech. Trump’s lawyers are urging the court to block the deposition, and Smith has not been ordered to testify. In a Monday filing, the BBC argued that evidence underlying Smith’s investigation could help address whether Trump’s speech conveyed the impression that he fomented or incited the violence at the U.S. Capitol. The broadcaster says Smith’s public report does not include all the evidence behind his conclusions and that a deposition could allow questions about that material, subject to court rulings and grand-jury secrecy requirements. Trump’s lawyers contend Smith lacks firsthand knowledge of the issues in the lawsuit because he was not present for the speech, did not help prepare it and cannot speak directly to Trump’s state of mind. They also argue that his public testimony and report make a deposition repetitive and disproportionate, and that evidence from his investigation may be protected by grand-jury secrecy. The dispute is part of a broader fight over what...