Raskin demands DOJ turn over any Homan tapes
House Judiciary Democrats are demanding the tapes and other investigative materials reportedly showing border czar Tom Homan accepting $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents.
The ask ignites a probe into the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI’s handling of the matter, with Trump officials apparently shutting down an investigation that began leading into the 2024 election.
“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,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the panel, wrote in a letter signed by Democratic members of the committee.
The request comes as the White House has shifted its response to the story, sparking more calls from Democrats to release any tapes.
MSNBC reported Friday that an informant relayed last year that Homan was soliciting payments from those looking to gain lucrative contracts should President Trump win the election.
Undercover FBI agents posing as contractors met with Homan in Texas, with video footage of the incident showing him accepting payment as he reportedly pledged to assist them in getting future contracts, according to the news outlet.
Prosecutors were reportedly eyeing four different charges relating to the matter, but decided to wait until Homan assumed office after a Trump win. It’s unlawful to improperly influence federal contracting regardless of whether someone is able to deliver on their promise to do so. However, someone cannot be charged under federal bribery statutes until they are a public official.
Trump administration officials, however, blocked advancement of the investigation, according to MSNBC, prompting Raskin to ask for all case files and communications about the probe – including any had with the White House.
He also asks for “documentation of any legal analysis used to justify closing the investigation.”
“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,” he wrote.
Both DOJ and the FBI declined to comment.
The White House has dismissed the investigation into Homan, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt calling the allegations “another example of the weaponization of the Biden Department of Justice.”
She also said that Homan “never took the $50,000” – a denial the White House did not initially make when reached for comment on the MSNBC story, instead saying the border czar was not involved in awarding contracts and that the investigation “found no evidence of illegal activity.”
Homan, however, did not repeat that claim when directly asked about the payment during a Monday night appearance on Fox News’s “The Ingraham Angle.”
“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 disputed that, noting that prosecutors were weighing four different charges in the case.
The FBI and DOJ in a joint statement last week also said the matter “originated under the previous administration and was subjected to a full review by FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors.”
Raskin noted that investigations at DOJ continue regardless of presidential transitions and accused the Trump administration of giving Homan “and others like him carte blanche to take bribes for lucrative contracts paid for with taxpayer money.”
The Homan story sparked interest from other Democrats as well, with House Homeland Democrats demanding testimony from Homan.
“As the Committee responsible for ensuring that DHS’s mission is faithfully executed, we have an obligation to take testimony, on the record, regarding the role that Homan has played in the Department’s contracting decisions since entering government in January 2025,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the top Democrat on that panel, wrote in a letter pressuring Chair Andrew Garbarino (D-N.Y.) to call Homan to testify.
“The American people deserve to know why President Trump’s so-called Border Czar allegedly used his position and influence to take bribes in his own self-interest.”