Pentagon probe requested into Trump sons' defense contract windfall

A group of Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth and Representative Robert Garcia, have asked Pentagon Inspector General Platte B. Moring III to investigate whether companies tied to President Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, received preferential treatment in defense contracts. The request follows a Washington Post report that 15 companies backed by the brothers’ investments have secured about $3.2 billion in federal contracts, investments and loans, most of it after President Trump began his second term. Excluding major firms SpaceX and Anduril, the amount is more than three times what the firms received before the second term. Lawmakers warned of a “growing cloud of corruption” and questioned whether the family’s influence is undermining the competitive, non‑partisan procurement process that ensures the military gets the best equipment. The investigation comes as the Pentagon shifts toward new, agile warfighting tools, a move that enjoys bipartisan support, while Republican leaders have largely stayed silent on the issue.