Eric Trump Backs FCC Probe into ABC News Story on Family Business Dealings
Following an inaccurate report about his family's investments, Eric Trump has voiced support for a federal investigation into ABC News.
Eric Trump has publicly supported a call for a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) probe into ABC News, following the network's publication and subsequent correction of a story concerning his family's business dealings with defense contractor Anduril Industries. The initial report, posted on ABC News' website, claimed that companies associated with Eric Trump and his brother, Donald Trump Jr., had secured billions in Pentagon contracts since the 2020 election.
Senator Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, initiated the call for an FCC investigation, sending a letter to Chairman Brendan Carr. Moreno questioned whether ABC News violated its obligations as a broadcaster by publishing the erroneous report, which was later deleted and then republished with corrections. Eric Trump amplified these concerns on X, formerly Twitter, stating, "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."
Moreno's letter specifically addressed the report's characterization of Anduril's financing. The original ABC News story asserted that 1789 Capital, a firm where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, acquired a significant stake in Anduril through a $2.5 billion investment. However, the corrected report clarified that the $2.5 billion figure represented Anduril's overall fundraising round, while 1789 Capital's investment was approximately $50 million. The revised article also noted that Trump Jr. does not sit on the firm's investment decision-making committee.
The corrected article was republished with the headline "New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest," and the byline was changed to "ABC News."
Sources indicate that an ABC News journalist involved with the story defended it initially, and Semafor reported that editors had also stood by the story before its deletion, which contradicted the network's statements to other media outlets that the story was published "prematurely."