5 minNews
Eric Trump Backs FCC Probe Into ABC News Over Revised Anduril Story
Eric Trump endorsed a call for a federal investigation into ABC News after the network deleted and then substantially revised a report about his family's business dealings with defense contractor Anduril Industries.
Eric Trump on Monday endorsed a call for the Federal Communications Commission to investigate ABC News over a report about his family's business dealings with defense contractor Anduril Industries that the network deleted and then republished with substantial corrections.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, sent a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr demanding accountability for the network's reporting and questioning whether ABC News violated its obligations as a broadcaster. The original article, published last week under the headline «Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election,» was removed without explanation before reappearing with a correction.
«Thank you @berniemoreno — can't wait to participate!» Eric Trump wrote 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.»
In his letter to Carr, Moreno urged the commission to open a formal investigation into what he described as a 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.
The controversy centered on ABC News' original claim that 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. serves as a partner, acquired a major stake 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, according to the revised reporting.
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 source close to 1789 Capital told Fox News Digital that an ABC News journalist involved with the story defended it over the phone before the story 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 characterization to other media reporters that the story was published «prematurely.»
The episode has drawn attention to the internal editorial process at ABC News, which is owned by Disney. The network has not explained who approved the original report or why it was removed without a note to readers. ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The call for an FCC investigation comes amid broader tensions between Disney and the federal regulator. Disney recently sued the FCC over what the company described as a «retaliatory campaign against ABC» and sought to block early renewal proceedings for the network's broadcast licenses. The FCC's review of broadcaster obligations has become a flashpoint in recent months, with lawmakers on both sides weighing in on the standards applied to national news organizations.
Moreno's letter 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 senator's demand for an investigation adds to the pressure on ABC News to provide a fuller account of how the erroneous story moved through its editorial layers.
For Eric Trump, the revised article and the network's handling of the correction have become a focal point. His public backing of Moreno's request signals that the Trump family intends to stay engaged as the FCC weighs whether to examine the matter. The outcome could shape how broadcasters approach corrections and how aggressively regulators scrutinize editorial decisions at a time when trust in national media remains deeply polarized.
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