Senators Grill Pam Bondi over FBI’s Alleged $50,000 Tom Homan Bribe

Attorney General Pam Bondi repeatedly refused to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday what happened to $50,000 in cash undercover FBI agents reportedly gave White House border czar Tom Homan last year in a federal bribery investigation that was later quashed by the Trump administration.

Democratic senators on the panel repeatedly asked what exactly happened to the Justice Department probe of Homan. Bondi refused to answer directly and responded to her questioners in increasingly personal terms. The bickering reached a peak when an exasperated Sen. Adam Schiff looked away from the attorney general and turned to the committee.

“This is supposed to be an oversight hearing, and it comes in the wake of revelations that a top administration official took $50,000 in a bag. And this department made that investigation go away,” he said.

Last month, MSNBC reported that Homan was under investigation in 2024 for promising to steer contracts upon joining the Trump White House. NOTUS later independently confirmed that reporting, with sources saying Homan accepted the money in a sting operation that involved the DOJ’s elite Public Integrity Section, which has since been all but disbanded. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have demanded to see the tapes capturing that transaction.

But when Bondi appeared before the committee in the Senate, she refused to discuss the matter and snapped at those who pressed her on the issue.

When Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse asked whether Homan declared the sting money on his tax returns, Bondi got personal.

“Senator, I’d be more concerned if I were you … when you pushed for legislation that subsidized your wife’s company,” she said.

Bondi also ignored Sen. Mazie Hirono’s questions about Homan, pointing her to the officials Bondi says already determined the investigation found no evidence of criminal behavior: FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Bondi remained emphatic that the entire investigation was “resolved” before she was confirmed as AG in February.

When Sen. Alex Padilla asked about the existence of any videotape, Bondi ragged on him for walking in late.

“Senator, you have not been sitting in here this entire hearing,” she said.

Sen. Peter Welch also tried to get answers.

“First of all, is there a tape that has audio and video of the transfer of the $50,000?” Welch asked.

“You would have to talk to Director Patel about that,” Bondi responded.

“No, I’m talking to you,” he said.

“I don’t know the answer, senator,” Bondi affirmed.

“Yes, you do know the answer,” Welch continued.

“Don’t call me a liar!” Bondi snapped, later telling the Vermont senator, “You’re not going to sit here and slander Tom Homan … Tom Homan is doing a great job as our border czar, keeping your border state safe. You’re a border state!”

Bondi reserved her most combative response for Schiff, a top Trump antagonist. When Schiff asked what happened to the $50,000 bag of cash from the FBI, Bondi pointed to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s assertions last month that “Mr. Homan never took the $50,000.” But then the attorney general pivoted to attack Schiff directly.

“If you worked for me, you would have been fired,” Bondi said.

Schiff, undeterred, asked if Bondi would release evidence in a case that is now closed — and noted that doing so would ultimately be up to her as the highest-ranking DOJ official.

“You’re the attorney general. This will be your decision,” he began. “You don’t have to defer to the FBI director to pass the buck. So I’m asking you: Will you support a request so that the committee — or indeed, I believe the American people — should be able to see that video or audio tape? Will you support that request?”

“Will you apologize to Donald Trump for trying to impeach him?” she shot back.