Senate Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee have demanded the Department of Justice release files related to its prior investigation into bribery allegations involving White House border czar Tom Homan.
The congressional request comes after House Judiciary Committee Democrats asked the DOJ and FBI for evidence related to the investigation, which has now been dropped.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), the committee’s ranking member, led the latest letter sent to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday.
In September 2024, Homan allegedly accepted $50,000 in cash bribes from undercover FBI agents posing as business executives in exchange for helping the agents lock down government contracts if President Donald Trump won reelection last year.
The Trump administration recently shut down the investigation into Homan without an explanation after the DOJ and FBI reportedly planned to continue it. FBI Director Kash Patel reportedly requested a status update on the case before it was closed.
“If true, this alleged conduct by a senior government official is unacceptable,” the letter states. “The fact that the incoming Trump Administration reportedly closed this investigation prematurely raises further concerns that the Administration is weaponizing our system of justice to protect the president’s friends and to persecute his political foes.”
Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said there is no “credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing” on Homan’s part.
“This matter originated under the previous administration and was subjected to a full review by FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors,” they said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “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.”
The committee demanded the DOJ and FBI hand over their investigative file involving Homan, including audio or video recordings, and their communications regarding the case since Trump’s second inauguration, among other documents. Bondi must submit a briefing to the committee’s staff by Oct. 8.
Peters was joined by Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Andy Kim (D-NJ).
“It is critical that the American people be able to trust that the influence of White House and other government officials has not been bought, and that contracts will be awarded to companies based on merit, not to those willing to pay bribes,” the letter reads.
“Our homeland security should not be for sale so that one official can provide favors to his friends, and we encourage the Department to treat this investigation with the seriousness it deserves.”
HOMAN BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS BASED ON WEAK EVIDENCE, EXPERTS SAY
Homan, the former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, denied he committed any wrongdoing but did not address whether he accepted the bribes as alleged. His response came hours after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied he ever accepted the payment.
The DOJ confirmed its receipt of Wednesday’s letter and referred the Washington Examiner to the FBI and White House for comment.
The White House defended Homan, saying he “has not been involved with any contract award decisions” and has done a “phenomenal job” as Trump’s border czar.
“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 in response to a request for comment. “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.”
