House Dems turn up the heat on DOJ official for handling of Homan bribery allegations

Democrats are putting pressure on a Department of Justice official as they step up their investigation of bribery allegations against White House "border czar" Tom Homan.

Senate Democrats grilled Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday over whether Homan returned a purported $50,000 bribe, and House Democrats sent a letter to Associate Attorney General Edmund Woodward demanding his response after Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel "failed to answer" questions about the matter last month, reported Axios.

"We write now to follow up and demand that you answer fundamental questions," read the letter, signed by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and other lawmakers. "Who knew about the Homan cash bribery scandal, when did they know it, and why was Mr. Homan appointed 'Border Czar' even in the face of such damning evidence of his taking bribes for government contracts?"

The lawmakers pointed out that Woodward led the vetting of candidates for administration jobs for the Trump transition team, which they said should have been made aware under standard FBI and DOJ procedure.

"We have every reason to believe the normal process was followed here," the lawmakers said.

FBI agents posing as business executives recorded Homan last year accepting $50,000 in cash after indicating he could help them win government contracts in a second Trump administration, but the case stalled after the Republican president returned to office in January and was closed in recent weeks by Trump appointees.

The federal investigation was opened last summer in Texas after a subject in a separate investigation claimed Homan was soliciting bribes in exchange for awarding contracts if Trump won the presidential election.

House Democrats asked Woodward whether any other Trump appointees were "the targets of ongoing criminal investigations."