House Democrats press Rep. Garbarino to get answers over alleged 'cash bribe' to border czar

House Democrats are calling on Long Island Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino to force Trump administration border czar Tom Homan to testify about allegations he took a bribe from undercover FBI agents last year as part of an anti-corruption investigation.

"No one is above the law," the Democrats wrote Monday to Garbarino (R-Bayport), who in July became the new chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security.

"We call on you to require Trump administration ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to appear before the committee to answer allegations that he accepted cash bribes in exchange for promises to deliver government contracts," states the letter signed by the panel’s ranking member, Rep. Bennie Thompson, (D-Miss.) and other committee Democrats.

The demand leaves Garbarino — who holds congressional subpoena power — in a bit of a political pinch.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Homan "did absolutely nothing wrong," and President Donald Trump stands by him 100%. She said Homan "is a brave public servant who has done a phenomenal job in helping the president shut down the border."

In addition, Trump appointees at the Justice Department already have shut down an investigation by that agency into the matter earlier this year, according to multiple news accounts.

There was no immediate response from Garbarino’s office or a Republican committee spokesman, to the Democratic calls for him to force Homan to testify to his committee.

The Democrats’ letter refers to news media reports that on Sept. 20, 2024, the FBI recorded Homan accepting $50,000 in cash from undercover agents posing as business executives after indicating he could help them win government contracts related to border enforcement in a second Trump administration. MSNBC first reported on the investigation.

The alleged payment, which was reportedly inside a bag from the fast-casual chain Cava, occurred as part of an investigation that was not initially targeting Homan, The New York Times reported, but his acceptance of the money prompted an inquiry.

"However, the investigation reportedly stalled soon after Donald Trump became President in January 2025, and Trump political appointees officially closed the case in recent weeks," the Democrats’ letter to Garbarino states.

But the Democrats argue that scrutinizing Homan’s role in Department of Homeland  contracting is critical as the administration rushes to obligate $170 billion in border security and immigration enforcement funding provided under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act."

"As the Committee responsible for ensuring that DHS’s mission is faithfully executed, we have an obligation to take testimony, on the record, regarding the role that Homan has played in the Department’s contracting decisions since entering government in January 2025," the letter states.