US President Donald Trump has warned the BBC of a $1 billion defamation lawsuit over a selectively edited video clip in a Panorama documentary, plunging the broadcaster into a major public relations scandal that has already forced two senior executives to step down.

Trump’s legal team sent a formal letter demanding the BBC fully retract what they described as “false, defamatory, insulting, misleading, and inflammatory” statements from the program, which aired just one week before the 2024 presidential election.

Penned by Trump attorney Alejandro Brito, the letter gives the BBC until Friday to issue a complete and fair retraction and provide adequate compensation for the harm caused to President Trump. Failure to comply will result in legal action in a US court in Florida, the letter states.

Widely circulated on social media, the correspondence concludes with a stern warning: “The BBC has been put on notice. Govern yourselves accordingly.”

Titled Trump: A Second Chance?, the documentary came under fire after an internal memo was leaked, criticizing producers for editing Trump’s remarks in a way that falsely suggested he directly incited the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

In the aired version, Trump is shown saying “We fight like hell” immediately after telling supporters “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol.” In reality, the “fight like hell” line was delivered nearly an hour later, following comments praising “our brave senators and congressmen and women.”

Source: Al Jazeera