A government watchdog group is shaking things up. The Democracy Defenders Fund is suing the FBI to push for the release of a tape that supposedly shows border czar Tom Homan accepting a hefty $50,000 cash payment. Per a report by The Hill, this move comes after the FBI shut down their initial attempts to get a hold of the tape and other documents linked to the investigation into Homan.
The group is pretty clear about why they’re taking this legal action. They believe these documents hold crucial information that the American public absolutely needs to see. It’s all about assessing Homan’s potentially corrupt actions. Just as importantly, understanding if the Department of Justice and FBI made a politically motivated decision to drop the investigation into Homan, who was a key appointee in the Trump Administration.
The FBI, for its part, denied the Freedom of Information Act request, pointing to privacy protections, especially those designed to shield personal information found in law enforcement records. However, the lawsuit argues that the strong public interest here totally outweighs any privacy concerns.
If he did nothing wrong, there is no harm in releasing the file
Back in September, the FBI received a tip about Homan taking kickbacks before Trump even won the election. The idea was that these payments were in exchange for helping companies snag lucrative government contracts if Trump made it to the White House. As a part of the FBI’s investigation, Homan had an encounter with an undercover agent. The interaction was reportedly caught on tape, showing Homan accepting the cash, tucked away in a Cava bag.
Law enforcement reportedly felt they had a really strong case assembled before President Trump took office. They were even considering four different charges against Homan. Despite officials feeling confident in the strength of their case, the lawsuit states that after Trump moved into the White House, the FBI surprisingly decided to drop the investigation.
Homan has consistently maintained his innocence. He expressed happiness that the FBI and DOJ apparently concluded that nothing illegal happened and there was no criminal activity. Interestingly, while he denied any criminal wrongdoing, he didn’t actually deny taking the $50,000 cash payment itself. The dance around the topic is interesting, considering his past statements about it not being ok to violate laws.
The White House has also come to Homan’s defense. White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson stated that this “blatantly political investigation” found no evidence of illegal activity. She framed it as another instance of the Biden Department of Justice using its resources to target Trump’s allies instead of going after “real criminals.” His case is just another high-profile case related to bribes recently.
Published: Feb 19, 2026 03:50 pm