Journalists Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian uncovered details showing that federal investigators filmed Border Czar Tom Homan receiving money during a secret sting operation prior to the investigation being terminated.
Trump’s DOJ shut down an FBI probe after agents caught Border Czar Tom Homan on tape taking $50,000 in cash from undercover operatives posing as contractors in exchange for promised gov’t contracts. MSNBC’s Carol Leonnig & Ken Dilanian with a massive scoop.

DOJ Shut Down Probe Into Alleged Tom Homan Bribe: Report
Source: mediaite.com
Key Evidence
Reporters Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian stated that Border Czar Tom Homan was captured on audio and video by federal agents taking 50,000 dollars in currency during a covert operation.
The investigative findings indicated that the inquiry was later terminated by the Justice Department.
What the Evidence Shows
An extensive journalistic investigation led by reporters Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian highlighted a covert Federal Bureau of Investigation sting where Border Czar Tom Homan was documented taking 50,000 dollars in physical currency from agents masquerading as business partners.joycevance.substack.comjoycevance.substack.comCondemning Crimes—Unless They're Your OwnThe Core Claims & Reporting The Sting Operation: In 2024 (prior to the presidential election), the FBI conducted an undercover sting operation targeting Tom Homan Undercover agents posing as business executives recorded Homan accepting...
mediaite.commediaite.comDOJ Shut Down Probe Into Alleged Tom Homan Bribe: ReportBased on investigative reporting from MSNBC The Core Allegation & Report The MSNBC Report: In September 2025, MSNBC investigative journalists Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian published an exclusive report stating that White House "Border... The coverage indicated that the money exchanged hands for guaranteed public sector agreements, and the Justice Department later halted the ongoing investigation into the incident.
This disclosure sparked severe political repercussions, aggressive legislative oversight hearings, and public pushback from government representatives who characterized the inquiry as partisan.pbs.orgpbs.orgWhite House Backs Border Czar Tom Homan After Reports He Accepted Cash During an...Official DOJ / White House Response: The White House and top administration officials strongly defended Homan, dismissing the investigation as a politically motivated "deep state" entrapment effort engineered by the prior administration... Ethics watchdogs and independent media organizations later sought documentation concerning the recording via public records lawsuits and official grievances.
democracyforward.orgdemocracyforward.orgCompl Homan Recording.pdfThe claim is substantially accurate in its reporting origins, stemming from a major investigative scoop published by MSNBC journalists Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian (alongside concurrent reporting by The New York Times, Reuters, and other...+2 more
Verified Sources6
White House Backs Border Czar Tom Homan After Reports He Accepted Cash During an...
DOJ Shut Down Probe Into Alleged Tom Homan Bribe: Report
Revision history
- Version 2October 7, 2026
The newly completed fact-check includes direct reporting from MSNBC journalists Carol Leonnig and Ken Dilanian confirming their scoop, alongside corroborating coverage from high-reliability sources such as PBS and Mediaite. This upgrades the verdict from 'Mostly True' (due to missing direct attribution to the journalists in the older cache) to 'True'.
Mostly True → True - Version 1September 20, 2025
Initial published version
Mostly True