Trump Jr. Firm Weighs Legal Action Against ABC News Over Botched Report

The venture capital firm 1789 Capital, which has Donald Trump Jr. as a partner, is considering legal action against ABC News over a report that contained significant factual errors. Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for 1789 Capital, stated that the firm's attorneys are actively involved and "not taking options off the table" in response to what she described as "completely false things and hit jobs."

This situation arose after ABC News deleted an article published on Wednesday that claimed companies connected to President Donald Trump's adult children, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., had secured billions in government contracts, including through 1789 Capital. The original report, accessible via the Internet Archive, was titled "Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election."

Specifically, the report inaccurately stated that 1789 Capital had acquired a major stake in defense contractor Anduril Industries through a $2.5 billion investment. In reality, the $2.5 billion figure represented Anduril's broader fundraising round, with 1789 Capital's investment being approximately $50 million. Additionally, the original report implied that Donald Trump Jr. was involved in the firm's investment decision-making committee, which has since been clarified as incorrect.

ABC News republished a revised version of the story on Friday, which included an editor's note acknowledging "errors." The revised headline focused on a new shipyard announcement and mentioned earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest. The original reporter's byline was replaced with "ABC News." Henning indicated that the corrections and revisions were insufficient, stating that ABC News has a "long history of doing this to the president and his family."

She also noted that no one from ABC News contacted 1789 Capital for comment prior to the initial report's publication. Senator Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has called for an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) into the circumstances surrounding the erroneous report. Henning suggested the errors stemmed from a combination of "laziness" and a desire to target the Trump family. "This story was just false on the facts," Henning said.

According to Henning, attorneys for 1789 Capital have been in contact with ABC News and its parent company, Disney, and the firm is continuing to monitor the situation for potential legal recourse. ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.