House Judiciary Democrats are demanding tapes allegedly showing border czar Tom Homan taking $50,000 from undercover FBI agents, sparking a probe into the Department of Justice’s handling of an investigation that Trump officials reportedly shut down before the 2024 election.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the top Democrat on the panel, wrote in a letter signed by Democratic members of the committee:
“Do the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have video and audio recordings of White House ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan accepting $50,000 in cash bribes from undercover FBI agents stuffed in a brown paper takeout bag from the restaurant chain Cava? It certainly sounds like you do.”
The White House’s shifting response to the alleged scandal has fueled Democratic calls for the release of any tapes. This stems from an MSNBC report that an informant claimed last year that Homan sought payments from those pursuing contracts if Trump were to win.
According to reports, undercover FBI agents posing as contractors met Homan in Texas, capturing video of him taking cash while pledging help with future contracts. Prosecutors considered four charges but held off until after a potential Trump win, as bribery charges require the target to be a public official; however, improperly influencing contracts is illegal regardless of actual authority.
MSNBC claimed Trump administration officials blocked the probe, leading Rep. Raskin to demand all case files and White House communications related to it. He also requests “documentation of any legal analysis used to justify closing the investigation,” further writing:
“This startling episode is powerful evidence that Mr. Homan may have committed multiple federal felonies, including conspiracy to commit bribery. Your reported effort to shut down this investigation appears to be a brazen cover-up to protect Donald Trump’s allies, at a time when the DOJ and FBI are also being ordered to aggressively pursue prosecution of Donald Trump’s political enemies.”
The White House has dismissed the Homan probe, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling it “another example of the weaponization of the Biden Department of Justice.” She insisted Homan “never took the $50,000,” a denial not offered in the White House’s initial response, which only noted he wasn’t involved in awarding contracts and that no evidence of illegality was found. Homan addressed the payment allegations on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle Monday night.
“Look, I did nothing criminal. I did nothing illegal,” Homan said. “It’s hit piece after hit piece after hit piece and I’m glad the FBI and DOJ came out and said, you know, said that nothing illegal happened, no criminal activity.”
Raskin pushed back, noting prosecutors had weighed four charges and stressing DOJ probes continue through presidential transitions. He accused the Trump administration of giving Homan “and others like him carte blanche to take bribes for lucrative contracts.” The case has also drawn attention from House Homeland Democrats, who are demanding Homan’s testimony.
POLL: Do you believe Tom Homan committed criminal wrongdoing in the alleged bribery scandal?
