Overview

• MSNBC and subsequent outlets report undercover agents recorded Tom Homan on September 20, 2024, accepting $50,000 in cash in Texas after he indicated he could help secure future government contracts if Donald Trump returned to office.
• The investigation began in western Texas and drew in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, with prosecutors weighing potential charges including bribery, conspiracy and two types of fraud.
• After Trump took office in January, investigators did not advance the case; in recent weeks FBI Director Kash Patel requested a status update and, alongside Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, announced the matter was closed.
• Officials concluded standard bribery statutes were difficult to apply because Homan was not a public official at the time and prosecutors doubted they could prove a specific quid pro quo to a jury.
• Homan has denied the allegations using a profanity, the White House called the probe politically motivated, and Democratic lawmakers criticized the shutdown and pressed for further transparency.