EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump's Epstein 'Cover-Up' — Prez Accused of Using Fresh $10Billion Lawsuit Against BBC to 'Distract From Pedophile Scandal'
Critics have claimed Trump is using the $10B BBC lawsuit to distract from renewed Epstein scrutiny.
Dec. 17 2025, Published 6:44 p.m. ET
RadarOnline.com can reveal Donald Trump is facing accusations his newly filed multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the BBC is a calculated attempt to distract from renewed scrutiny of his past links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as the so-called 'Epstein Files' near public release.
The U.S. president, 79, has launched a defamation suit in Florida seeking up to $10billion in damages over a Panorama episode that edited together sections of a January 6, 2021, speech he delivered shortly before the attack on the Capitol.
Legal Filings and Claims of Misrepresentation
Donald Trump filed a multibillion-dollar defamation lawsuit against the BBC in Florida.
Court filings accuse the BBC of presenting a "false, defamatory, deceptive, disparaging, inflammatory, and malicious depiction of President Trump" and of "splicing together two entirely separate parts of President Trump's speech" to misrepresent his meaning during the speech.
The BBC has confirmed the program is still available via the BritBox streaming service.
But in Washington, critics are openly questioning Trump's timing.
One senior Republican aide said: "This lawsuit talk against the BBC feels like it's going to be used as classic misdirection from the White House."
Another source added: "Trump's threats arrived at almost the exact moment the Epstein scandal and questions about the nature of his friendship with him blew up all over again. It is blighting Trump's second term, and this stuff is just a smokescreen to try and distract from it."
The BBC Response and Internal Fallout
Sources said the legal action served as a distraction from renewed Epstein scrutiny.
The lawsuit follows internal BBC fallout after a leaked memo raised concerns that editing in a 2024 Panorama documentary suggested Trump directly urged supporters to march to the Capitol and "fight like hell."
BBC chairman Samir Shah apologized for an "error of judgment," saying the edit gave the "impression of a direct call for violent action."
Despite that, Trump appears determined to press ahead with his legal action.
Speaking earlier this week, Trump said: "In a little while, you'll be seeing I'm suing the BBC for putting words in my mouth literally. They had me saying things that I never said."
A BBC spokesperson said: "As we have made clear previously, we will be defending this case. We are not going to make further comment on ongoing legal proceedings."
Mounting Pressure Over the Epstein Files
'Lawmakers prepared to release Epstein-related documents under new legislation.
The legal escalation coincides with mounting pressure over the Epstein Files, which the U.S. Justice Department is legally required to release by December 19 after Congress passed legislation forcing disclosure.
Epstein, who died in 2019, was 58 in 2011 when explosive emails now released by lawmakers were sent.
They show the sex trafficker confirming the authenticity of a photograph of Andrew Windsor, then 41, with sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre, then 17, who accused the former royal of sleeping with her when she was a teen.
In one email, Epstein wrote about Giuffre: "Yes, she was on my plane, and yes, she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have."
Trump's name also appears in communications involving Epstein and his madam and fixer Ghislaine Maxwell, according to House Oversight Committee Democrats.
White House Internal Contradictions
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Trump dismissed the Epstein Files as a political hoax.
Trump has dismissed the Epstein Files as a political "hoax," despite previously pledging during the 2024 campaign to make them public.
He ultimately signed the release bill allowing the release of more Epstein documents into law after it passed the House by a 427-to-one vote.
A source close to the investigation said: "The timing could not be worse for Trump. These emails revive the whole Epstein story right as Trump claims victimhood over an edit in a documentary."
Another former media executive said: "The legal threat helps drown out the Epstein revelations, even if the BBC case itself never goes anywhere."
Legal experts note Trump would need to show the Panorama program was accessible in Florida to sustain his suit, but allies argue the threat alone is his attempt to "reframe the political narrative as scrutiny of Epstein's network ramps up once again.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles has insisted Trump appears in the Jeffrey Epstein files, contradicting the U.S. president's repeated claims the records are a "hoax."
"We know he's in the file," Wiles declared, adding Trump "was on (Epstein's) plane … he's on the (flight) manifest" and describing the pair as "sort of young, single playboys together."
