A government watchdog group is taking the FBI to court, demanding the release of a tape it says shows Trump border czar Tom Homan allegedly accepting a $50,000 cash payment.
According to multiple reports, the alleged incident took place before President Donald Trump won reelection. Homan was reportedly approached by an undercover FBI agent after authorities received a tip that he was taking kickbacks in exchange for helping companies secure government contracts if Trump returned to office.
The alleged exchange was reportedly recorded. The tape, according to the report, shows Homan accepting $50,000 in cash delivered in a Cava bag.
Homan has denied wrongdoing but stopped short of denying he took the money.
“Look, I did nothing criminal. I did nothing illegal,” Homan said during an appearance on Fox News. “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.”
The group behind the lawsuit, Democracy Defenders Fund, says the FBI refused to release the tape and related investigative files after it filed a Freedom of Information Act request. The bureau cited privacy protections, including exemptions covering “personal information in law enforcement records.”
In its complaint, Democracy Defenders Fund argues the public has a right to see the materials.
“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 group wrote.
The lawsuit claims that before Trump took office, law enforcement officials believed they had built a strong case and were weighing four potential charges against Homan.
“Despite the officials’ belief in the strength of their case, after President Trump took office, the FBI absurdly decided to drop the investigation,” the suit states.
The White House referred inquiries to the FBI, which did not respond to a request for comment. Previously, Trump administration officials defended Homan and dismissed the investigation as politically motivated.
“This blatantly political investigation, which found no evidence of illegal activity, is yet another example of how the Biden Department of Justice was using its resources to target President Trump’s allies rather than investigate real criminals and the millions of illegal aliens who flooded our country,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said last year.
“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.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously asserted that Homan never took the money — a stronger denial than Homan himself has offered publicly.
Now, the courts may decide whether the public gets to see the tape at the center of the controversy.
