Ebola Contract Scandal: Eric Trump Slams 'Fake Story' as Spa CEO Admits 'I'm Not Sure We Can Do It'

XpresTest's chief executive told ProPublica he was unsure whether the company could carry out a US government assignment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after its parent company's subsidiary received two federal awards worth nearly $40 million (€36.2 million and £30.2 million).

The awards, for Ebola screening at US airports and infectious-disease work in Congo, followed an investment in XWELL by American Ventures, a fund linked to Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump. The ProPublica investigation, published on 9 November, examined the company's experience and the timing of the awards.

According to ProPublica, XpresTest, a subsidiary of airport spa operator XWELL, received the awards in 2026 after American Ventures invested in its parent company. The fund was launched by Dominari Holdings, where the president's sons served as advisers.

One award, worth $18.8 million (€17.0 million and £14.2 million), came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in June for Ebola entry screening at US airports. A separate $20 million (€18.1 million and £15.1 million) State Department award concerned infectious-disease response in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

ProPublica reported that the awards' combined value was seven times the total value of federal contracts XpresTest had previously received.

Eric Trump Disputes Report

Primetimer reported that Eric Trump rejected the account and threatened legal action against ProPublica after Democratic congressman Mike Levin questioned the investment and subsequent awards. His reported response challenged suggestions that he had influenced the contracts.

ProPublica did not establish that either Trump brother directly participated in the procurement decisions. A spokesperson for the brothers told the publication they were passive minority investors in a fund that invested in XWELL and had no involvement in negotiating or obtaining government contracts.

American Ventures invested approximately $30 million (€27.1 million and £22.7 million) in XWELL in February. ProPublica reported that Dominari had previously appointed the brothers as advisers and given them a stake of more than 10 per cent in Dominari.

The reported investment was made by a fund connected to the brothers; the reporting does not show that either man personally invested in XWELL. XWELL's earlier federal work also predates the current administration. Its predecessor, XpresSpa Group, received CDC funding for COVID-19 testing in 2021, during Joe Biden's presidency.

CEO Acknowledges Risks

XWELL chief executive Ezra Ernst told ProPublica that XpresTest secured the awards through competitive bidding. The company had screened travellers for COVID-19 and other pathogens at US airports, but the investigation found it had no prior experience responding to Ebola or providing biosecurity services overseas.

Ernst described the international work as unfamiliar and acknowledged uncertainty about whether the company could complete the assignment in Congo.

'This is a risky contract. I'm not sure we can do it,' he told ProPublica.

The remark concerned the difficulty of carrying out the work; it does not establish that the company failed to meet its contractual obligations. The State Department separately told ProPublica that its award followed a competitive process building on XpresTest's previous screening experience.

Dominari chief executive Anthony Hayes also rejected suggestions of improper influence. He told ProPublica the firm had never seen or heard of either brother using his family name to influence a government contract.

The timing remains central to the investigation: a fund linked to the president's sons invested in XWELL before its subsidiary received two substantial federal awards. However, the reporting cited in the article does not show that either brother intervened in the awards, and the sequence of events alone does not establish wrongdoing.