Key Takeaways
- • 1789 Capital, the venture firm where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, is weighing legal action against ABC News after the network deleted and later substantially rewrote a report on Trump family investments, according to Fox News Digital.
- • The original ABC report said 1789 Capital acquired a major stake in defense contractor Anduril through a $2.5 billion investment; the firm says that figure reflected Anduril's broader fundraising round, while its own investment was approximately $50 million.
- • ABC's revised article, republished Friday, acknowledged errors and clarified that Trump Jr. does not sit on the firm's investment committee, but did not specify the errors or apologize to 1789 Capital.
- • Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called on the FCC to investigate how the erroneous report was published.
- • 1789 Capital's spokesperson Alexa Henning says its lawyers have been in contact with ABC and Disney, and that the company will not 'back down.'
Summary
Venture capital firm 1789 Capital, where Donald Trump Jr. serves as a partner, is considering legal action against ABC News over a report examining investments tied to President Donald Trump's adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. According to Fox News Digital, the firm's spokesperson Alexa Henning said its attorneys remain closely engaged and that legal options are not off the table.
ABC News deleted the original article without explanation, then republished a substantially revised version days later. The original piece, headlined "Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election," claimed companies connected to the president's sons had secured billions in government contracts, including through 1789 Capital. The central error, as described in the coverage, concerned the firm's stake in defense contractor Anduril Industries. ABC reported a $2.5 billion investment by 1789 Capital, but that figure represented Anduril's broader fundraising round; 1789 Capital's own investment was approximately $50 million.
The revised article, bearing the headline "New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest" and an ABC News byline in place of the original reporter's, acknowledged errors involving investments, government contracts and chronology. It also stated that Trump Jr. does not serve on the firm's investment decision-making committee. An editor's note referenced "errors" but did not detail them or offer an apology to 1789 Capital, which Henning said was not sufficient. ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Henning said no one at ABC asked 1789 Capital for comment before publication, and that she had heard from multiple people inside ABC who privately acknowledged a serious mistake. She characterized the story as false on the facts and said there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the Trump family. The false version spread widely on social media, including after being shared by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to the report. Henning also cited ABC's 2024 $16 million settlement with President Trump over a defamation suit involving anchor George Stephanopoulos, saying ABC has a history of such coverage.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has called on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the report. Henning said her lawyers have been in touch with ABC and Disney and that the firm is monitoring coverage before deciding whether to sue.
ABC News deleted the original article without explanation, then republished a substantially revised version days later. The original piece, headlined "Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election," claimed companies connected to the president's sons had secured billions in government contracts, including through 1789 Capital. The central error, as described in the coverage, concerned the firm's stake in defense contractor Anduril Industries. ABC reported a $2.5 billion investment by 1789 Capital, but that figure represented Anduril's broader fundraising round; 1789 Capital's own investment was approximately $50 million.
The revised article, bearing the headline "New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest" and an ABC News byline in place of the original reporter's, acknowledged errors involving investments, government contracts and chronology. It also stated that Trump Jr. does not serve on the firm's investment decision-making committee. An editor's note referenced "errors" but did not detail them or offer an apology to 1789 Capital, which Henning said was not sufficient. ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Henning said no one at ABC asked 1789 Capital for comment before publication, and that she had heard from multiple people inside ABC who privately acknowledged a serious mistake. She characterized the story as false on the facts and said there was no evidence of wrongdoing by the Trump family. The false version spread widely on social media, including after being shared by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, according to the report. Henning also cited ABC's 2024 $16 million settlement with President Trump over a defamation suit involving anchor George Stephanopoulos, saying ABC has a history of such coverage.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has called on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the report. Henning said her lawyers have been in touch with ABC and Disney and that the firm is monitoring coverage before deciding whether to sue.
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