Goldman, Judiciary Democrats Press Trump-Vance Transition Team on $50,000 Homan Bribery Scandal

Members Press Trump-Vance Transition Team for Answers on Homan's Appointment Despite Ongoing FBI Investigation

Read the Letter Here

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Congressman Eric Swalwell (CA-14), and his House Judiciary colleagues in sending an oversight letter to Stanley Woodward, Associate Attorney General and former lead of the Trump-Vance DOJ Transition Team, demanding information on when the Trump team learned that its "Border Czar" nominee was under active FBI investigation for accepting a $50,000 cash bribe and why Donald Trump moved forward with his appointment anyway.

"Last month, we wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel about public reports that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI had killed an investigation of 'Border Czar' Tom Homan for taking a $50,000 cash bribe in a brown Cava bag from undercover FBI agents posing as corrupt businessmen seeking to purchase future government contracts. Bondi and Patel have failed to answer that letter. Additional reports have since emerged about this disturbing episode, along with conflicting and increasingly desperate statements from the White House and Mr. Homan. We write now to follow up and demand that you answer these fundamental questions: 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 Members wrote.

Bombshell reporting recently revealed that in September 2024, federal agents in Texas pursuing an unrelated case learned that Mr. Homan was soliciting payments in exchange for promises to award federal contracts if Donald Trump won the election. The FBI acted on this lead, and undercover agents posing as business executives met with Mr. Homan. According to internal Justice Department documents corroborated by multiple sources, hidden cameras and audiotapes captured Mr. Homan accepting $50,000 in cash in a restaurant takeout bag and agreeing to help steer government contracts to the executives and their companies in a future Trump Administration.

On November 10, 2024, while the FBI's investigation remained active, President Trump announced Mr. Homan as his choice for "Border Czar." Under standard FBI vetting protocols, the Bureau is required to notify DOJ leadership about ongoing probes into senior political appointees. That means that the Biden Administration's FBI would have informed DOJ counterparts about the Homan sting, who in turn would have relayed this information to the Trump-Vance Transition Team. Mr. Woodward, the recipient of today's letter, was responsible for researching and vetting all candidates joining the incoming administration.

Reportedly, the White House wanted the investigation crushed before Trump was even inaugurated. Then-Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove signaled his intent to shut down the investigation in early 2025, and the case was soon closed.

The White House response has only fueled suspicions of a cover-up. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt initially denied that Homan ever accepted the bribe, before later conceding that the sting was merely "FBI agents going undercover to try and entrap one of the President's top allies and supporters."

Mr. Homan himself effectively admitted to taking the money, saying on Fox News, "Look, I did nothing criminal, I did nothing illegal… And I'm glad the FBI and DOJ said that nothing illegal happened, no criminal activity."

The letter demands that Mr. Woodward provide documents, communications, and information about what the Trump-Vance Transition Team knew about the bribe, when they knew it, and how a man caught taking cash for contracts was appointed "Border Czar."

Read the letter here or below.

Dear Associate Attorney General Woodward:

Last month, we wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel about public reports that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI had killed an investigation of "Border Czar" Tom Homan for taking a $50,000 cash bribe in a brown Cava bag from undercover FBI agents posing as corrupt businessmen seeking to purchase future government contracts. Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel have failed to answer that letter.

Additional reports have since emerged about this disturbing episode, along with conflicting and increasingly desperate statements from the White House and Mr. Homan. We write now to follow up and demand that you answer fundamental questions: 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?

You led the effort to "fully research and vet all candidates to join the incoming Trump Administration" during the 2024 presidential transition. The timeline of events during that transition provides a troubling picture. According to public reporting, on September 20, 2024, Mr. Homan accepted a paper bag with $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen looking to buy access to government contracts in a future Trump Administration. Yet just three weeks later, on November 10, 2024, while the FBI's investigation into that bribe remained active, President Trump chose to announce Mr. Homan as his choice for "Border Czar."

Under standard FBI procedures for vetting senior appointees, the Bureau would have notified appropriate DOJ leadership about the ongoing criminal investigation into Mr. Homan during that transition period, particularly given his selection for such a high-profile position. DOJ leadership would have, in turn, informed appropriate personnel on the Trump-Vance Transition Team. We have every reason to believe the normal process was followed here. That means the Trump team knew that its "Border Czar" nominee was under active FBI investigation for accepting a cash bribe in a paper bag, and, nonetheless, President Trump proceeded to formally appoint Mr. Homan to the role on January 20, 2025.

It accordingly appears that the decision to kill the investigation was pre-ordained from the moment Mr. Trump decided to proceed with Mr. Homan's appointment despite overwhelming evidence that he was guilty of conspiracy to commit bribery and sell government contracts for his personal enrichment. Public reporting indicates that then-acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove-President Trump's former criminal defense attorney who was rewarded with a lifetime appointment to the Third Circuit-dutifully made it known that he wanted the investigation closed in early 2025, which led to the investigation then being closed and the cover-up completed.

The White House's conflicting explanations further suggest a scramble to bury the truth of Mr. Homan's actions. Initially, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt categorically denied that Mr. Homan took the money, claiming that "Mr. Homan never took the $50,000 that you're referring to." But she quickly caught herself, adding that the whole thing was really just "FBI agents going undercover to try and entrap one of the President's top allies and supporters." Mr. Homan himself also all but admitted to taking the cash. During a Fox News appearance, when Laura Ingraham asked him about whether he took the money, Mr. Homan said: "Look, I did nothing criminal, I did nothing illegal.... And I'm glad the FBI and DOJ said that nothing illegal happened, no criminal activity."

Americans need to know whether the President colluded with Justice Department leadership to protect a corrupt official at the center of the President's immigration crackdown whom he knowingly appointed despite evidence of bribery. And Mr. Homan's tacit admission that he accepted a paper bag stuffed with $50,000 in cash, combined with the White House's defensive claims about government "entrapment," all further suggest the likelihood of pay-to-play corruption at the highest levels of this Administration.

These facts raise essential and inescapable questions:

Accordingly, and pursuant to the House Judiciary Committee's jurisdiction over the DOJ and FBI and our continuing investigation into the Administration's pattern of abusing its prosecutorial and law enforcement functions, we demand that you provide answers to these questions and provide the documents described below to the Committee no later than 5:00 p.m., October 22, 2025:

For documents responsive to the requests above in the possession of the FBI, please produce all emails on UNET, FBINET, and SCION pertaining to the case, as well as any Teams messages from UNET and Lync messages from FBINET. If you believe any of these materials cannot be released for any reason, the Committee can arrange to view them in camera instead. This is a matter of profound public interest and urgency.

We look forward to your prompt compliance with these critical oversight requests.

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