White House border czar Tom Homan was investigated by federal law enforcement last year and allegedly accepted $50,000 in cash from agents who were posing as business executives seeking government contracts, MSNBC reported on Saturday, in a probe that Trump administration officials now say turned up no wrongdoing and decried as politically motivated.
MSNBC reported that Homan indicated he could help the undercover agents win contracts and the FBI and Department of Justice had planned to wait and see if Homan would deliver on that — but the case was ultimately stalled and then closed under the Trump administration. MSNBC reported that the alleged meeting between Homan and agents took place in September 2024 and was captured by hidden cameras.
POLITICO has not independently confirmed any details of the investigation, beyond several senior Trump administration officials acknowledging a probe took place and has been closed out.
Homan has been a close ally of the president dating back to his first term, where he acted as the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for some time. In the second term, he has been the White House’s border czar, and has been one of the public faces of President Donald Trump’s vast immigration deportation crackdown.
In statements provided to POLITICO by the White House, senior law enforcement officials acknowledged federal authorities conducted a probe, but said there was no “credible evidence” of criminal wrongdoing by Homan.
“This matter originated under the previous administration and was subjected to a full review by FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors,” FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a joint statement.
“They found no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing,” the two officials added. “The Department’s resources must remain focused on real threats to the American people, not baseless investigations. As a result, the investigation has been closed.”
MSNBC reported that the federal investigation was launched after a subject of a separate investigation claimed Homan was soliciting payments in exchange for awarding contracts in the scenario Trump won the presidency again.
The White House on Saturday called the investigation “blatantly political,” claiming the Biden administration was wasting its resources in attempts to smear Trump allies.
The investigation 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 spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
“Tom Homan has not been involved with any contract award decisions,” she added. “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.”
Homan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.