Eric Trump threw his support behind calls for the FCC to launch a probe against ABC News over a botched story it had published last week about the Trump family. (Romain Maurice/Getty Images)
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Eric Trump expressed support for a federal probe into a botched story from ABC News about his family’s business dealings with defense contractor Anduril Industries.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to investigate what led to an erroneous report published on the Disney-owned network’s website last week with the headline “Trump sons’ investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election.” The report was initially deleted without explanation and then republished with a correction.
“Thank you @berniemoreno — can’t wait to participate!” Eric Trump reacted Monday on X.
ABC NEWS DELETES ‘HIT PIECE’ ON TRUMP SONS’ PENTAGON-LINKED INVESTMENTS WITHOUT EXPLANATION
“You can’t publish a bulls**t hit-piece, let it spread and go viral, then delete it 24 hours later, under the cover of darkness with no explanation or apology. Who approved it? Has the author been fired? @ABC owes us answers,” he continued.
ABC News is facing intense backlash for a botched story that falsely implicated Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump in a Pentagon-linked transaction. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
In a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Moreno demanded accountability for the network’s report and questioned whether ABC News violated its obligations as a broadcaster.
“Thus, I urge the Commission to open a formal investigation into ABC News’s political hit job. We must know who signed off on the publication of this false story, who may have asked to profit from the attack, and whether ABC News’s conduct violated its obligations as a licensee,” Moreno said.
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Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called for the FCC to launch a probe into ABC over its botched report about the Trump family. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The letter followed ABC News’ decision to remove a report examining investments tied to both Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. The original Wednesday article claimed companies connected to the president’s sons had secured billions in government contracts, including through venture capital firm 1789 Capital.
Moreno specifically challenged the original report’s characterization of Anduril’s financing, arguing that the network had misrepresented the company’s investment activity and unfairly associated the Trump family with federal contracting decisions.
The controversy centered on ABC News’ original claim that 1789 Capital, where Trump Jr. serves as a partner, acquired a major strike in Anduril through a $2.5 billion investment. The figure instead represented Anduril’s broader fundraising round, while 1789 Capital’s investment was approximately $50 million.
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ABC logo on the network’s building in Manhattan, New York, on July 6, 2024. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)
ABC News republished a substantially revised article Friday, acknowledging errors involving investments, government contracts and the chronology of events. The updated version also clarified that Trump Jr. does not serve on the firm’s investment decision-making committee. The new headline reads, “New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest,” though the original reporter’s byline was replaced with “ABC News.”
A 1789 source told Fox News Digital that an ABC News journalist involved with the story defended it over the phone before the story itself was deleted. Semafor similarly reported Sunday that editors initially stood by the published story, according to emails between ABC News investigative reporter Nathan Lee, who authored the original story, and an Anduril spokesperson. That would contradict the network’s notion to other media reporters that the story was published “prematurely.”
ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Fox News’ Brian Flood and CJ Womack contributed to this report.