ABC News ultimately offered a correction to their original story.
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The story's headline mentioned Eric and Donald Trump Jr.
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The editorial decision did not go unnoticed, and Republican Senator Bernie Moreno called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to investigate their journalistic practice.
Eric was supportive of the call to action, thanking the senator on X.
He added, “You can’t publish a bulls--- 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."
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The story was taken down and later corrected.
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The story alleged defense contractor Anduril Industries benefited in projects because of Donald Jr.'s alleged position as a partner with deciding influence. They claimed 1789 Capital, allegedly under Donald Jr.'s influence, sunk a $2.5billion investment into Anduril, and then the company was awarded its Pentagon deals.
However, the correction acknowledged several errors. The $2.5billion figure was Anduril’s broader fundraising round, which 1789 Capital made up only $50million. Additionally, they clarified Donald Jr.'s influence was over-represented, claiming he was not on the committee deciding the firm's investment strategies.
The new headline dropped direct reference to the Trump family, instead writing: “New shipyard announced amid earlier Democratic concerns about potential conflicts of interest."
The news agency further removed the reporter's byline, instead crediting ABC News.
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Bernie Moreno penned an open letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
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Monroe called out the editorial mishap in a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
"I urge the Commission to open a formal investigation into ABC News’s 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," he wrote.
Monroe insisted his concern was a representation of his constituents' priorities.
"For Ohio, this is personal," he added. "A free press is essential to democracy. Controlled media opposition is not."
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The editors and journalist initially attempted to stand by the reporting.
An insider at 1787 Capital told Fox News Digital the ABC News reporter, Nathan Lee, was adamant about their story. They defended it over the phone before the decision was ultimately made to pull the reporting.
The editors reportedly stood by Lee before making a U-turn.
According to emails, ABC News producer Peter Charalambous told Anduril and Powerus, a drone contractor mentioned in the story, the story was “published prematurely and removed from our website.”
The republished story clarified: “Editor’s Note: CORRECTION: A version of this story published on Oct. 7 contained errors in the description of certain company investments, government contracts and event chronologies. After subsequent reporting, this version contains corrected information and additional context regarding some of those investments, contracts and events.”
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