The Trump White House is threatening a federal investigation into the parent company of Business Insider and Politico after Insider published a bombshell report linking Donald Trump Jr.’s business deals to the same kind of influence-peddling accusations that have dogged Hunter Biden for years.
On May 6, Business Insider published an article headlined “Don Jr. Is the New Hunter Biden.” Reporter Bethany McLean revealed that Trump Jr. had joined a venture capital firm called 1789 Capital. She quoted a source reportedly close to the Trump family who said: “What they’re doing is selling access to the president via the back door.”
The article suggested that Trump Jr.’s role raises serious questions about using political connections for private gain—just as Republicans have accused Hunter Biden of doing.
According to The Bulwark, the White House didn’t just take issue with the report—it hit back hard.
The administration is now “sending aggressive signals about launching a potential federal investigation” into Axel Springer, the German media company that owns both Business Insider and Politico, The Bulwark reported Tuesday.
Soon after the Insider piece dropped, Breitbart News ran a follow-up by reporter Matthew Boyle. He quoted a senior White House adviser who accused Axel Springer of being part of a “German influence operation.” The unnamed official warned that the media group’s reporting could qualify as “illegal foreign political meddling.”
Boyle wrote that Axel Springer had “grabbed the attention of the White House and senior administration officials” and claimed that the company was now “in federal crosshairs.”
He added that U.S. officials were exploring whether Axel Springer was violating federal ethics norms by allowing its outlets to publish politically charged stories that could sway American politics.
