Eric Trump said he supports a federal investigation into ABC News’ retracted report about his family’s business ties to defense contractor Anduril Industries.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to examine how the Disney-owned network came to publish an inaccurate report last week under the headline, “Trump sons’ investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election.”
ABC News initially removed the article without explanation before republishing a revised version with corrections.
“Thank you @berniemoreno — can’t wait to participate!” Eric Trump wrote Monday on X.
“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 added.
In a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Moreno called for accountability over the report and questioned whether ABC News had violated its responsibilities 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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Moreno’s letter came after ABC News removed an article examining investments linked to Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. The original story, published Wednesday, claimed companies connected to the president’s sons had obtained billions of dollars in government contracts, including through venture capital firm 1789 Capital.
Moreno took particular issue with the report’s description of Anduril’s financing, arguing that ABC News inaccurately portrayed the company’s fundraising and improperly connected the Trump family to federal contracting decisions.
At the heart of the dispute was ABC News’ original claim that 1789 Capital, where Trump Jr. is a partner, had taken a major stake in Anduril through a $2.5 billion investment.
In fact, the $2.5 billion figure referred to Anduril’s overall fundraising round, while 1789 Capital invested approximately $50 million.
ABC News published a substantially rewritten article Friday, acknowledging errors related to the investments, government contracts and timeline of events.
The revised story also noted that Trump Jr. is not a member of 1789 Capital’s investment decision-making committee.
The replacement headline reads, “New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest.” The original reporter’s byline was also replaced with “ABC News.”
A source at 1789 Capital told Fox News Digital that an ABC News journalist involved in the report defended it during a phone call before the article was removed.
Semafor reported Sunday that editors initially stood by the story, citing emails exchanged between ABC News investigative reporter Nathan Lee, who wrote the original article, and an Anduril spokesperson.
That account would conflict with the network’s explanation to other media outlets that the article had been published “prematurely.”
ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
