Key Takeaways
- • 1789 Capital, the venture capital firm where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, is weighing legal action against ABC News after the network deleted and then republished a substantially revised report on investments tied to President Trump's sons.
- • ABC's original report claimed 1789 Capital acquired a major stake in Anduril Industries through a $2.5 billion investment; according to the firm, that figure reflected Anduril's broader fundraising round, while 1789 Capital's own investment was approximately $50 million.
- • The republished version, under an "ABC News" byline and a new headline, acknowledged "errors" and clarified that Trump Jr. does not serve on the firm's investment committee, but did not specify the errors or apologize to 1789.
- • Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has called on the FCC to investigate how the erroneous report was published.
- • 1789 Capital says its attorneys are in contact with ABC News and Disney and that it is "not taking options off the table."
Summary
1789 Capital, a venture capital firm tied to Donald Trump Jr., is weighing legal action against ABC News over a report that the firm says contained false claims about investments linked to President Donald Trump's adult children, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. The firm's spokesperson, Alexa Henning, told Fox News Digital that the firm's attorneys remain engaged and that "we're not taking options off the table." Henning said the firm's lawyers have been in touch with ABC and Disney.
ABC News originally published an article examining alleged investments tied to the Trump sons, under the headline "Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election." The network then deleted the report without explanation and later republished a substantially revised version, which acknowledged errors involving investments, government contracts and chronology. The original article claimed that 1789 Capital acquired a major stake in defense contractor Anduril Industries through a $2.5 billion investment. According to the firm, that figure represented Anduril's broader fundraising round, while 1789 Capital's investment was approximately $50 million. The revised article also clarified that Trump Jr. does not serve on the firm's investment decision-making committee. The updated version carries the headline "New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest."
Henning said there was "no evidence" of wrongdoing by the Trumps and argued that the false report spread widely on social media, including after being shared by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. She said the revised story's editor's note does not explain the errors or apologize to 1789, and described the response as not "sufficient." Henning also disputed claims from media reporters that the initial story was "published prematurely," stating that the editor had stood by it when the story went up. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate how the report came to be published. ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
ABC News originally published an article examining alleged investments tied to the Trump sons, under the headline "Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election." The network then deleted the report without explanation and later republished a substantially revised version, which acknowledged errors involving investments, government contracts and chronology. The original article claimed that 1789 Capital acquired a major stake in defense contractor Anduril Industries through a $2.5 billion investment. According to the firm, that figure represented Anduril's broader fundraising round, while 1789 Capital's investment was approximately $50 million. The revised article also clarified that Trump Jr. does not serve on the firm's investment decision-making committee. The updated version carries the headline "New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest."
Henning said there was "no evidence" of wrongdoing by the Trumps and argued that the false report spread widely on social media, including after being shared by California Gov. Gavin Newsom. She said the revised story's editor's note does not explain the errors or apologize to 1789, and described the response as not "sufficient." Henning also disputed claims from media reporters that the initial story was "published prematurely," stating that the editor had stood by it when the story went up. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, called on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate how the report came to be published. ABC News did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.
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