Key Takeaways
- • 1789 Capital, a venture capital firm in which Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, is weighing legal action against ABC News and Disney after the network deleted and revised a report scrutinizing the firm's ties to Pentagon contracts.
- • ABC News reportedly removed the story and issued a correction after 1789 Capital challenged several of its claims, including the assertion that the firm acquired a major stake in Anduril, the defense technology company.
- • Palmer Luckey, Anduril's founder, was cited in coverage of ABC's error in crediting 1789 Capital with a $2.5 billion investment in his A.I. defense firm.
- • A Republican senator has called for an FCC probe of ABC News over the reporting, raising regulatory attention to the dispute.
- • Court filings reportedly show Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump had no involvement in awarding the contract and never spoke with Cove Capital leadership about it.
Summary
1789 Capital, a venture capital firm in which Donald Trump Jr. serves as a partner, says its attorneys are in contact with ABC News and Disney after the network deleted and revised a report it characterized as a "hit job" against the Trump family, according to Fox News publisher materials.
The original ABC News report examined business interests linked to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, including alleged ties to Pentagon contracts. According to coverage by Puck News, the report erroneously credited 1789 Capital with a $2.5 billion investment in Anduril, the defense A.I. company founded by Palmer Luckey. 1789 Capital challenged several of the report's claims, and according to reporting by Status News and others, ABC News subsequently removed the article, which was described as having been pulled less than a day after publication, and later issued an editor's note and correction.
The removal drew wider attention. A Republican senator called for an FCC investigation into ABC News over its original claims. Coverage also cited court filings indicating that the Trump brothers had no involvement in awarding the contract at issue and never spoke with Cove Capital leadership about it.
The dispute remains unresolved. 1789 Capital's legal options against ABC News and Disney had not been filed as of the reporting cited, and the sources reviewed do not indicate a final resolution of the correction or the regulatory request.
The original ABC News report examined business interests linked to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, including alleged ties to Pentagon contracts. According to coverage by Puck News, the report erroneously credited 1789 Capital with a $2.5 billion investment in Anduril, the defense A.I. company founded by Palmer Luckey. 1789 Capital challenged several of the report's claims, and according to reporting by Status News and others, ABC News subsequently removed the article, which was described as having been pulled less than a day after publication, and later issued an editor's note and correction.
The removal drew wider attention. A Republican senator called for an FCC investigation into ABC News over its original claims. Coverage also cited court filings indicating that the Trump brothers had no involvement in awarding the contract at issue and never spoke with Cove Capital leadership about it.
The dispute remains unresolved. 1789 Capital's legal options against ABC News and Disney had not been filed as of the reporting cited, and the sources reviewed do not indicate a final resolution of the correction or the regulatory request.
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