A restaurant takeout bag with $50,000 inside. A former (and future) authorities official. Allegations of a Division of Justice cover-up. It appears like a Matt Damon film, however it’s simply one other day in 2025.
The Justice Division has halted the investigation of border czar Tom Homan, who MSNBC reported was caught on tape final September accepting a money cost from FBI brokers posing as businessmen searching for authorities contracts. However that gained’t finish the matter — nor ought to it.
People need to know whether or not Homan, who types himself an aggressively by-the-book cop unwilling to look previous any immigrant’s slightest infraction, is responsible of soliciting bribes. That’s particularly vital now, when Homan is poised to supervise a large enlargement of immigration enforcement funding. Homan has denied wrongdoing, however he has not particularly denied taking the cash within the sting operation performed final September.
On the time of the alleged incident, Homan was a non-public citizen main a consulting agency. Homan, who had occupied distinguished roles at Immigration and Customs Enforcement in President Barack Obama’s administration and within the first Trump administration, reportedly informed the undercover brokers that he anticipated to play a key function in a second Trump administration and will steer border-related authorities contracts their approach. That’s in response to inside paperwork reviewed by the MSNBC reporters who broke the story, and a number of figures they interviewed.
The administration has tried to characterize the trade as entrapment — a weaponized operation designed by a Democratic administration to ensnare considered one of President Donald Trump’s most trusted advisers on immigration.
However Homan was not the preliminary goal of the FBI’s investigation. He solely got here into it when brokers had been alerted to his alleged solicitation of bribes. And the company was led on the time by Christopher Wray, a Republican whom Trump appointed in his first time period. (Wray resigned beneath strain from the White Home in January and was changed by Kash Patel on Feb. 20.) As soon as Homan allegedly took the bribe, there arose an obligation to analyze additional. That obligation stays.
Home and Senate Democrats are opening separate inquiries, and they’re proper to take action. These inquiries ought to, by all rights, be bipartisan. Congress is charged with oversight of the chief department. Republicans, nevertheless, stay supine, unable to muster the spine for his or her most simple check-and-balance duties. They’re taking their cues from the White Home, which has been vigorous in decrying the experiences and the investigation.
Information of the FBI’s choice to bury the probe — for “no credible proof” in response to an FBI assertion — broke as Trump was claiming credit score for firing U.S. Legal professional Eric Siebert for failing to seek out sufficient proof to cost considered one of Trump’s sworn enemies, New York State Legal professional Normal Letitia James. Trump additionally lately demanded in a social media put up that Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi transfer “now” to prosecute his political adversaries who, he mentioned, “impeached me twice and indicted me (5 instances!) over nothing.” Any illusions of an unbiased Justice Division are being shattered by a president bent on utilizing it as an instrument of retribution.
Congressional Democrats might have bother choosing up the place the DOJ left off, as a result of and not using a majority in both the Home or the Senate, they’ll’t compel testimony or name hearings. However, it’s crucial to unravel what occurred right here.
Republicans’ “huge stunning” price range reconciliation invoice contained an unprecedented sum of money for detaining and deporting immigrants. The immigration companies finishing up Homan’s orders will get a gusher of recent funds washing via them — sufficient to rent a small military of recent officers and pay for numerous contracts. Taxpayers need to know that these {dollars} can be properly spent.
Homan’s administrative powers are restricted, and don’t give him direct management over both hiring or vendor contracts. However that is an administration the place the whole lot is fungible, and as border czar, Homan’s affect is profound. The main points of how the funds can be disbursed stay far too obscure, regardless that months have handed since Congress greenlit that funding.
As a civilian, Homan operated a consulting agency that secured immigration-related authorities contracts. One in every of his purchasers was the GEO Group, a significant participant in detention amenities and personal prisons. After Trump’s November victory, GEO CEO Brian Evans informed traders, “We’re a theoretical potential doubling of all our companies.” ICE maintained in April — when his reference to GEO was reported by The Washington Submit — that Homan “has by no means been concerned in any contract discussions or selections at ICE since being named border czar.” GEO has not commented. But the Division of Homeland Safety has lately awarded GEO a lot of new contracts, together with a 15-year contract for $1 billion introduced Feb. 27.
That announcement got here shortly after the FBI’s probe was shuttered, in response to MSNBC’s reporting. In late January or early February, then-Deputy Legal professional Normal Emil Bove informed the DOJ he didn’t assist the investigation. That was a mistake — a perceived cover-up may end in a a lot bigger scandal.
In December 2024, Homan had informed Rolling Stone that as incoming border czar he would recuse himself from selections on authorities contracts, “subsequently there is no such thing as a battle of curiosity.” The previous Chilly Battle phrase “belief however confirm” involves thoughts.
As a substitute, we now have Patel and Deputy Legal professional Normal Todd Blanche declaring that the matter has been given a “full assessment” and “no credible proof of any legal wrongdoing” has been discovered. Case closed, nothing to see right here.
That’s hardly the transparency Trump promised for the Washington “swamp.” It does nothing to revive the credibility of Homan, the FBI or the Justice Division.
This administration, with its unfastened ethics and disrespect for guidelines, has not earned that stage of belief. Maybe no administration in current reminiscence has. Congress ought to assessment the pertinent paperwork, the FBI’s audiotape and convey Homan in for under-oath questioning. What occurred to the money? When did the administration study of the investigation? What steps have been taken to stop conflicts of curiosity?
That’s not a witch hunt. It’s Congress doing the job it’s alleged to do.
