Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are escalating their investigation into the Trump administration's handling of bribery allegations against White House border czar Tom Homan, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Democrats have seized on the allegations, which Homan and the White House have denied, as part of their anti-corruption message against President Trump and his team.
- Senate Democrats grilled Attorney General Pam Bondi on the topic at a hearing Tuesday.
- She said the Justice Department found no evidence of wrongdoing but did not say if Homan returned the purported $50,000 bribe, Axios' April Rubin reported.
- Homan said in a Fox News interview last month he "did nothing illegal" and told NewsNation the reports were "bullsh*t," with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying Homan "never took the $50,000."
Driving the news: In a letter to Associate Attorney General Edmund Woodward, a group of House Democrats led by Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) wrote that Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel "failed to answer" their initial letter on Homan last month.
- "We write now to follow up and demand that you answer fundamental questions," they continued.
- "Who knew about the Homan cash bribery scandal, when did they know it, and why was Mr. Homan appointed 'Border Czar' even in the face of such damning evidence of his taking bribes for government contracts?"
The other side: "This blatantly political investigation, which found no evidence of illegal activity, is yet another example of how the Biden Department of Justice was using it's resources to target President Trump's allies rather than investigate real criminals and the millions of illegal aliens who flooded our country," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.
- "Tom Homan has not been involved with any contract award decisions. He is a career law enforcement officer and lifelong public servant who is doing a phenomenal job on behalf of President Trump and the country."
- A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
Zoom in: The lawmakers noted that Woodward led the vetting of potential candidates for administration jobs as part of Trump's 2024 transition team.
- They wrote that, under standard FBI procedures, agents would have notified that DOJ about the allegations against Homan, and that DOJ leadership would have then informed the transition team.
- "We have every reason to believe the normal process was followed here," the lawmakers added.
- They sent a list of seven questions regarding Homan's appointment and the administration's handling of the FBI investigation into him, including whether Trump appointed "other persons to public office who were the targets of ongoing criminal investigations."
Catch up quick: MSNBC and the New York Times reported last month that Homan was recorded in September 2024 accepting a Cava bag with $50,000 as part of an undercover FBI probe.
- Homan allegedly agreed to help the agents, who were posing as businessmen, secure federal border security contracts. The case was shut down by DOJ officials after Trump took office.
Editor's note; This story has been updated with additional reporting.
