Eric Trump is backing a push for federal regulators to investigate ABC News over a report about his family's business ties to defense contractor Anduril Industries that the network deleted and then republished in substantially revised form.
The controversy centers on an ABC News article published last week under the headline «Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election.» The story was removed without explanation and later restored with corrections. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, responded by sending a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr urging a formal inquiry into what he described as a political hit job.
«Thank you @berniemoreno — can't wait to participate!» Eric Trump wrote Monday on X, publicly endorsing the senator's request. In a follow-up post, he pressed the network for answers: «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 to the FCC argued that the commission should determine who authorized publication of the original report and whether ABC News violated its obligations as a licensed broadcaster. «Thus, I urge the Commission to open a formal investigation into ABC News's political hit job,» Moreno wrote. «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.»
The disputed reporting focused on investments connected to Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., including through venture capital firm 1789 Capital, where Trump Jr. serves as a partner. The original article claimed companies tied to the president's sons had secured billions in government contracts. Moreno specifically challenged how the network characterized Anduril's financing, saying it misrepresented the company's investment activity and unfairly linked the Trump family to federal contracting decisions.
At the heart of the dispute was ABC News' assertion that 1789 Capital acquired a major stake in Anduril through a $2.5 billion investment. That figure actually represented Anduril's broader fundraising round, while 1789 Capital's investment was approximately $50 million, according to the revised reporting.
ABC News republished a heavily rewritten 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,» and the original reporter's byline was replaced with «ABC News.»
The sequence of events has raised questions about the network's editorial process. A 1789 source told Fox News Digital that an ABC News journalist involved with the story defended it over the phone before the article was deleted. Semafor similarly reported Sunday that editors initially stood by the published story, citing emails between ABC News investigative reporter Nathan Lee, who authored the original piece, and an Anduril spokesperson. That account would contradict what the network told other media reporters — that the story was published «prematurely.»
ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The episode unfolds against a broader backdrop of tension between Disney, ABC's parent company, and the FCC. Disney has sued the commission over what it describes as a «retaliatory campaign against ABC» and is seeking to block early renewal proceedings for the network's broadcast licenses.
Moreno's request adds congressional pressure to an already charged media and regulatory fight. The FCC has not announced whether it will act on the letter. For now, the central unanswered questions remain who approved the original ABC News report, why it was deleted without explanation, and what the network's revised account means for its credibility on a story involving the president's family and a major defense contractor.