LONDON ( WNAM MONITORING ): BBC Chair Samir Shah has told staff that the corporation is “determined to fight” threatened legal action from US President Donald Trump, insisting that there is “no basis for a defamation case.”
His comments follow Trump’s announcement on Saturday that he intends to sue the BBC for between $1 billion and $5 billion over the editing of his speech for a documentary, despite the broadcaster having already issued an apology.
In an email to staff, Shah acknowledged the intense speculation surrounding potential legal proceedings, including estimates of possible costs or settlements.
He said the BBC remained “acutely aware of the privilege of our funding and the need to protect our license fee payers, the British public.”
“I want to be very clear with you – our position has not changed,” he wrote. “There is no basis for a defamation case and we are determined to fight this.”
President Trump told reporters that legal action would be launched “sometime next week,” accusing the BBC of altering his remarks.
“We’ll sue them,” he said. “We’ll sue them for anywhere between a billion and five billion dollars. We have to do it, they’ve even admitted that they cheated… They changed the words coming out of my mouth.”
