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FILE – White House border czar Tom Homan holds a news conference at the Bishop Whipple Federal building on Wednesday, February. 4, 2026 in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy, File)
Tom Homan, known as the Trump administration’s “border czar,” has been a focal point of controversy, enduring scrutiny across several presidential terms and even a Department of Justice investigation. Recently, a lawsuit has emerged aimed at the FBI, demanding transparency surrounding an alleged bribery and fraud case linked to Homan that seemingly fizzled out without conclusion.
The legal action was initiated by the Democracy Defenders Fund, co-founded by former Obama administration “ethics czar” Norm Eisen. The group filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, pressing the FBI to release details that could shed light on the matter.
Suspicion around Homan’s activities surfaced publicly last September following an exposé by MS Now. It was reported that the FBI had recorded Homan accepting a $50,000 cash payment from undercover agents posing as executives seeking favorable treatment for contracts during Trump’s second presidential campaign.
The investigation, initiated during the later part of the Biden administration, was eventually taken over by the FBI under Kash Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi’s DOJ. Their conclusion, as reported by The New York Times, was that no credible evidence of criminal activity was found, leading to the case being closed.
In light of the investigation’s revelations, Homan addressed the issue on Fox News, maintaining that he had committed no criminal acts. However, he notably sidestepped a direct inquiry regarding the alleged acceptance of the $50,000 cash, as noted in a Yahoo News report.
“I did nothing criminal. I did nothing illegal. You’re talking about a guy who spent 34 years enforcing the law. I mean, I left a very successful business that I ran to come back and work for government again,” he said. “My family sacrifices. I make sacrifices every day. I got more death threats than anybody.”
Homan was pressed again on the subject in January, this time by NBC News’ Kristen Welker.
“The FBI recorded you accepting a bag,” Welker began describing the allegations, also referencing the Trump DOJ’s rationale for shuttering the investigation.
“I didn’t take $50,000 from anybody,” Homan said. “I’m not going to give this story any more air. Bottom line: I did nothing illegal.”
Welker then directly asked if Homan accepted or returned the money.
“I didn’t have any money to return. I didn’t take the $50,000. Bottom line,” he said, bristling over attacks on his “integrity” and professionalism.
Asked about the reported recording of the bag incident and whether the videos and other information should come out, Homan said that’s up to the FBI.
On that front, Democracy Defenders Fund agrees, claiming violations of the Freedom of Information Act and “unlawful withholding of agency records.” The FBI, the lawsuit claims, has “unlawfully withheld” video footage and investigation records responsive to FOIA requests.
“These documents contain vital information that the American public needs to have in order to assess both Mr. Homan’s potentially corrupt actions as well as the Department of Justice and FBI’s potentially politically motivated decision to drop the investigation into Mr. Homan, one of the Trump Administration’s appointees,” the filing said, ripping the DOJ for “absurdly” ending the probe even though “several law enforcement officials believed that they had a strong case against Mr. Homan based on the recordings.”
Notably, the plaintiff claims the FBI declined to release the documents by citing the “privacy interest of individuals mentioned within the documents.”
Democracy Defenders Fund Chief Counsel Virginia Canter said in a statement that the public has an interest in learning about multiple layers of possible “corruption.”
“Tom Homan is alleged to have taken tens of thousands of dollars to peddle government contracts. If true, that is textbook corruption. If Trump appointees shut down the investigation, that raises even more serious questions,” Canter said. “The administration must come clean and provide the tapes and files. If they do not, we hope a judge will force them to because the American people deserve the truth.”