ABC’s This Week took a sharp turn on Sunday when host George Stephanopoulos abruptly ended an interview with Vice President JD Vance after he repeatedly refused to answer a direct question about an alleged $50,000 bribe involving Trump’s “Border Czar” Tom Homan.
Vance was appearing on This Week to talk about the government shutdown, but things took a sharp turn when Stephanopoulos brought up a report that Homan had allegedly accepted a $50,000 bribe in a sting operation run by the FBI back in 2024.
Instead of addressing the accusation head-on, Vance pivoted. Hard.
“I think the American people are a little bit sick of these weird left-wing rabbit holes,” Vance said, quickly switching the subject to the budget negotiations and blaming Democrats for the impasse.
Stephanopoulos wasn’t having it: “It’s not a weird left-wing rabbit hole. I didn’t insinuate anything,” Stephanopoulos fired back. “I asked you whether Tom Homan accepted $50,000, as was heard on an audiotape recorded by the FBI in September 2024. And you did not answer the question. Thank you for your time this morning.”
With that, the screen cut back to the studio. No wrap-up. No thanks-for-joining-us. Just a hard stop.
The moment lit up social media, with many praising Stephanopoulos for cutting through the deflection and holding Vance to account. MSNBC’s Ken Dilanian weighed in, saying Vance had “engaged in verbal jujitsu as he avoided answering whether Homan kept $50K in taxpayer money from undercover FBI agents.”
ABC later posted the full exchange online, doubling down on the significance of the unanswered question.
The allegations surrounding Homan stem from an FBI operation that reportedly involved undercover agents posing as private contractors. According to leaked audio, Homan’s can be heard discussing a $50,000 payment in exchange for favorable access to detention contracts. While no formal charges have been announced, the recording has triggered renewed scrutiny of Trump immigration officials.
Vance has repeatedly defended Homan and dismissed the report as politically motivated.
But Stephanopoulos wasn’t asking for an editorial. He asked a yes-or-no question—and when Vance refused to answer, the interview was done.
Watch the full exchange below.
