BBC chair Samir Shah has said there is « no basis for a defamation case and we are determined to fight this » – after Donald Trump said he would sue the corporation for between $1bn and $5bn.
In an email to staff, Mr Shah said: « There is a lot being written, said and speculated upon about the possibility of legal action, including potential costs or settlements.
« In all this we are, of course, acutely aware of the privilege of our funding and the need to protect our licence fee payers, the British public.
« I want to be very clear with you – our position has not changed. There is no basis for a defamation case and we are determined to fight this. »
It comes after the US president confirmed on Saturday he would be taking legal action against the broadcaster over the editing of his speech on Panorama – despite an apology from the BBC.
« We’ll sue them. We’ll sue them for anywhere between a billion (£792m) and five billion dollars (£3.79bn), probably sometime next week, » he told reporters.
« We have to do it, they’ve even admitted that they cheated. Not that they couldn’t have not done that. They cheated. They changed the words coming out of my mouth. »
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