Senior officials in Donald Trump's administration reportedly intervened to bypass standard security clearance procedures for his border czar, Tom Homan, despite an active FBI bribery investigation into his conduct, a new investigation has revealed.
FBI Probe and Alleged Cash Payment
According to a report by MS NOW, the investigation into Homan began in early 2024 under the Biden administration. It centred on allegations that Homan was recorded accepting $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen seeking immigration enforcement contracts in a potential second Trump term.
The video evidence, which has not been made public, allegedly showed the money being handed over in a bag from the restaurant chain Cava. Both Homan and the White House have denied the exchange ever took place and contest the video's existence.
Bypassing the Standard Vetting Process
The crucial details of the FBI probe were passed to Emil Bove in early January 2025, just days before his appointment as acting deputy attorney general and shortly before Trump's inauguration. Bove, previously Trump's personal attorney, then worked with other transition team members to ensure the investigation did not disrupt Homan's background check.
This process was already delayed because Trump's team submitted Homan's name for vetting in December 2024, a month later than is typical. MS NOW states it remains unclear how Homan ultimately obtained a security clearance after FBI agents believed he would not pass a background check.
Homan was hired as the White House Executive Associate Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, leading the administration's aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.
Political Fallout and Claims of a Two-Tier Justice System
The FBI investigation was shut down by the Justice Department in the summer of 2025, months after Trump took office. MS NOW reported that Bove and FBI Director Kash Patel had "registered their displeasure" with the case continuing.
Democratic lawmakers have seized on the report. Bennie Thompson, the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, wrote to its Republican chair in September calling for hearings, stating "No one is above the law."
Senator Chris Murphy accused the Trump administration of applying a dual standard of justice. "See what happened to Tom Homan... the investigation was dropped once Trump became president," he told ABC News. "There are just two standards of justice now in this country."
The White House dismissed the MS NOW report as an attempt to "dredge up an old story." Spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended Homan as a "career law enforcement officer" doing a "phenomenal job," and labelled the original probe a "blatantly political investigation."
Under Homan's direction, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have intensified. The Department of Homeland Security claimed in mid-December 2025 that over 600,000 deportations had occurred this year, with a further 2.5 million individuals leaving voluntarily—a figure unconfirmed by independent experts.
