ABC removed the report without an explanation, then republished it on Oct. 9 with a correction acknowledging errors in descriptions of company investments, government contracts and event chronologies. The revised article replaced Nathan Lee's byline with “By ABC NEWS.” Status separately reported that ABC had not sought comment from 1789 Capital, where Trump Jr. is a partner, before publication.
The original analysis claimed companies backed by President Donald Trump's sons had received more than $6 billion in active or promised government contracts since their investments. Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey disputed that total, saying most represented hypothetical contract ceilings, and said 1789 Capital's investment was $50 million, about 1/1000th of Anduril. He also rejected ABC's publication explanation, writing: “The editors stand by the reporting and insist the false claims are true.” Asked for further comment after republication, an ABC spokesperson referred reporter Jeremy Barr to the correction note.