Is there verified video evidence of Tom Homan receiving $50,000?
Executive summary
Multiple reputable outlets report that undercover FBI agents recorded Tom Homan accepting $50,000 in cash in a takeout bag during a September 20, 2024, meeting; those reports cite hidden-camera video and audio described in internal DOJ materials [1] [2] [3]. The Justice Department later closed or shelved the investigation and Trump administration officials say reviews found “no credible evidence of criminal wrongdoing,” while Democrats and some news organizations continue to demand release of the underlying recordings [4] [1] [5].
1. What the reporting actually says — recorded, according to multiple outlets
Multiple news organizations report that the FBI conducted an undercover sting in which agents posing as businessmen paid Homan $50,000 in cash, and that hidden cameras and audio allegedly captured him taking the money—a bag reported to be from the chain Cava—at a Texas meeting on Sept. 20, 2024 [1] [2] [3]. News outlets including Reuters, The Guardian and the BBC say internal summaries and sources familiar with the case describe video and audio recordings of the payment [1] [2] [3].
2. What officials said afterward — review, closure, denials
The Justice Department and FBI statements cited by reporting say a subsequent review by current agency leadership concluded there was “no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing,” and the investigation was ultimately shelved or closed in 2025 [1] [4] [6]. The White House and Homan have offered varying denials or said he did nothing illegal, while some Trump administration spokespeople contested earlier categorical denials as reporting evolved [3] [7] [8].
3. Is there “verified video evidence” publicly available?
Available sources report that internal DOJ and FBI materials include hidden-camera video and audio allegedly showing Homan accepting the money, but they do not say that the recordings have been publicly released for independent verification; Democrats and others have demanded the DOJ/FBI release the tapes [5] [7] [2]. Reporting notes the recordings exist in agency files per internal summaries and sources, but publicly viewable, independently verified footage has not been produced in the news reporting cited here [2] [5].
4. Competing narratives and political context
Republican officials and the White House emphasize the DOJ/FBI reviews finding no prosecutable evidence and framed the original probe as politically motivated; Democrats and some news outlets say internal documents and multiple sources describe clear recordings and question why the probe was shut down [1] [5] [4]. Judiciary Committee Democrats have formally demanded release of any audio, video and related documents, framing non-disclosure as a potential cover-up [5] [7].
5. How media fact-checkers and long-form coverage treat the claim
Fact-checking and investigative summaries (e.g., Snopes and long-form pieces) document reporting that the FBI recorded the exchange and that the probe was later shelved, but they say they could not independently obtain the primary recordings and therefore refrain from definitive ratings about guilt or the public availability of video evidence [4]. Wikipedia’s entry likewise summarizes the reporting and the DOJ’s closure of the investigation, citing insufficient evidence as the official basis for ending it [6].
6. What remains unproven in public reporting
Sources here do not show that the alleged hidden-camera/video evidence has been released to the public or independently authenticated; they instead rely on internal summaries and multiple unnamed sources within DOJ/FBI or news organizations that reviewed those materials [2] [1] [3]. Available sources do not mention any publicly posted, independently verified video clip that a neutral third party has authenticated [2] [4].
7. What questions reporters and oversight bodies are asking next
Oversight Democrats have demanded the DOJ and FBI hand over recordings, documents and communications to Congress to determine who knew what and when, and whether the probe was improperly closed [5] [7]. Journalists and fact‑checkers are seeking the underlying tapes or official confirmation of their contents to move beyond anonymous-source summaries [4] [2].
Bottom line: multiple reputable outlets report that hidden-camera video and audio allegedly show Homan accepting $50,000; those reports are based on internal DOJ/FBI materials and on-source accounts [1] [2]. The recordings themselves have not been publicly released for independent verification in the reporting provided here, and DOJ statements say the matter was reviewed and closed with no prosecutable evidence [1] [4].