Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, is calling on the Federal Communications Commission to open a formal investigation into ABC News after the network deleted and rewrote a report tying President Trump’s sons to defense contractor Anduril Industries. Moreno says the original story was false and put a major investment in his home state at risk.
In a letter to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, Moreno demanded answers about who at ABC News approved the story and whether the network violated its obligations as a federal broadcast licensee.
“Thus, 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,” Moreno said.
A spokesperson for Moreno declined to elaborate further when contacted by Fox News Digital.
The dispute traces back to a Wednesday ABC News article claiming companies linked to Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump had secured billions of dollars in government contracts, including through the venture capital firm 1789 Capital. The report said 1789 Capital, where Trump Jr. is a partner, had acquired a major stake in Anduril through a $2.5 billion investment.
That figure was wrong. The $2.5 billion represented Anduril’s total fundraising round, not 1789 Capital’s stake, which was actually about $50 million. ABC News republished a substantially revised version of the story Friday, with a new headline, a revised byline and an editor’s note acknowledging errors involving the investments, government contracts and the timeline of events. The correction also clarified that Trump Jr. does not sit on the firm’s investment decision-making committee.
Moreno argued the network’s mistakes weren’t just sloppy journalism but a direct threat to Ohio jobs. Anduril is building its Arsenal-1 manufacturing facility in the state, a project the company says will bring nearly $1 billion in investment and more than 4,000 jobs.
“ABC News appears under broadcast licenses issued by the FCC. These licenses are a privilege, not a right. They require service of the public interest,” Moreno said.
“The American people, and the workers in Ohio whose jobs were put at risk by this reporting, deserve answers and accountability,” he added.
The FCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A network source for ABC News told Fox News Digital: “We always review every situation in a thorough and thoughtful manner and will not be providing further comment at this time.”
Moreno’s letter lands amid an existing legal fight between Disney and the FCC over the commission’s early review of ABC-owned television station licenses. Disney has argued that review threatens the network’s constitutionally protected editorial independence, while the FCC has defended it as ordinary regulatory oversight.
