Reporter Maxwell Tani said ABC journalists were re-reporting the story and urgently contacting some of the companies involved as of Oct. 8. Anduril co-founder Palmer Luckey rejected the premature publication explanation, alleging: “This was a coordinated influence operation planted by our competition, not "premature publication".” He accused ABC of continuing to ignore requests for a correction or retraction.
The original ABC 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. Luckey disputed its description of Donald Trump Jr.’s investment firm, 1789 Capital, as holding a major stake in Anduril, saying it invested $50 million, about one-thousandth of the company. He also said most of ABC’s contract total consisted of hypothetical ceilings rather than amounts the government or contractors anticipated transacting.