The White House is facing questions after altering its explanation regarding reports that former immigration official Tom Homan accepted a $50,000 bribe as Donald Trump’s administration was preparing to take office.
An MSNBC investigation by Ken Dilanian and Carol Leonnig revealed over the weekend that Homan, then serving as executive associate director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), was allegedly caught by special agents in Texas soliciting bribes.
According to the report, the undercover operation involved agents posing as business executives seeking to influence government contracts. Homan was said to have accepted $50,000 in cash and indicated he would assist in securing the deal.
At the time, White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson dismissed the investigation. “A 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,” Jackson said.
But by Monday, the administration’s response appeared to change. Dilanian wrote on X that officials were now saying Homan did not actually take the cash. “The White House is now saying Tom Homan didn’t take the $50,000 in cash. That was not part of their statement when we first went to them on Saturday,” he posted.
Citing multiple individuals familiar with the matter, Dilanian maintained that Homan did accept the money, adding that an internal government document reviewed by MSNBC supported that claim.
He urged the White House to release records that could resolve the dispute. “To settle this, it would be great if the White House would release the case files and any FBI recordings of Homan’s meetings with undercover agents posing as businessmen,” Dilanian said.
The push for transparency echoes long-standing demands for the release of files tied to other high-profile investigations, including the case of accused trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The controversy places renewed scrutiny on Homan, who became known as Trump’s “border czar” during his tenure at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and remains a vocal supporter of the former president’s immigration policies.
Whether the White House releases further documentation remains uncertain, but the conflicting accounts have intensified criticism from both reporters and political opponents, who argue that the administration has yet to offer a clear explanation of what occurred during the undercover operation.