After border czar Tom Homan dismissed California's new law banning immigration agents from wearing masks during enforcement operations, Governor Gavin Newsom taunted Homan over his bribery scandal.
Newsom has defended his state's new measure, saying ICE officers should not be “hidden from accountability,” and that masks obstruct public “transparency” and “oversight.”
But Homan dismissed this during an interview with Newsmax, saying:
"Good luck with that. We're going to keep doing what we're doing. I believe federal law trumps state law every time. So I say we're going to keep doing what we're doing so good luck with that."
You can hear what he said in the video below.
In swept Newsom with this cutting response:
"What if we give you another $50,000 in a paper bag?"
You can see his post below.
Newsom was referencing allegations that President Donald Trump ordered the Justice Department to shut down a bribery probe involving Homan. Homan was accused of accepting a paper bag containing $50,000 from FBI agents posing as business executives who sought government contracts if Trump won the 2024 election.
Homan insisted during a Fox News interview that he had done “nothing wrong or illegal,” though he stopped short of explicitly denying that he took money from a federal agent. The White House has similarly shifted its stance, now saying he “didn’t do anything wrong” rather than directly disputing claims that he accepted the cash.
Many loved Newsom's response and joined him in criticizing Homan.
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Democrats have pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi to “immediately” release all records tied to the now-defunct bribery probe. At the time of the alleged incident, Homan was running a private consulting firm.
Separately, Democrats are calling on FBI Director Kash Patel to hand over documents and evidence, including any audio or video recordings of the alleged cash handoff between Homan and undercover FBI agents.
They also cited the recent $170 billion congressional appropriation for border security and immigration enforcement as a reason for urgency, writing that the public must be assured government contracts are awarded on merit and not “to those willing to pay bribes.”
