During a live television interview, Vice President JD Vance was abruptly cut off mid-sentence while criticizing the show’s ratings.
On Sunday (October 12), tensions flared between JD Vance and ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, as the host questioned the VP about the Tom Homan controversy.
The Trump administration is said to have terminated an investigation into its ‘border czar’ after allegations surfaced that Homan accepted $50,000 in cash in September of the previous year. This payment was purportedly for facilitating connections for future government contracts related to immigration enforcement.
The operation was conducted by undercover FBI agents, and there is reportedly a belief among Justice Department officials that there was a case against Homan for potential charges ranging from conspiracy to commit bribery to fraud.
The White House has denied claims that Homan accepted any cash bribes, and the 63-year-old former director of ICE has remained mostly silent since the investigation’s closure.
During the tense discussion on the This Week live broadcast, Stephanopoulos repeatedly pressed the vice president on the issue.
The host directly questioned Vance about whether Homan kept or returned the money, to which Vance retorted, “George, you’ve covered this story ad nauseam. Tom Homan did not take a bribe.
“It’s a ridiculous smear. And the reason you guys are going after Tom Homan so aggressively is because he’s doing the job of enforcing the law. I think it’s really preposterous.”
He went on to say, “I know Tom. I think that he’s a good man. He gets death threats, he gets attacked, he gets constantly threatened by people because he has the audacity to want to enforce the country’s immigration laws.”
Vance then urged the former Democratic advisor to investigate a ‘much more interesting story’ about why Homan is, according to him, being ‘constantly harassed and threatened to the point of death threats’.
He added, “That’s a much more interesting question that I think journalists should focus on. We can agree to disagree on that question.”
However, the TV host persisted.
“I’m asking you, did he accept the $50,000 that was caught on the surveillance tape? Did he accept that $50,000 or not?” Stephanopoulos inquired.
Though Vance claimed ignorance of the matter, the host emphasized, “He was recorded on an audiotape in September of 2024, an FBI surveillance tape, accepting $50,000 in cash. Did he keep that money?”
“Accepting $50,000 for doing what, George?” an evidently irritated Vance responded. “I am not even sure I understand the question. Is it illegal to take a payment for doing services? The FBI has not prosecuted him.”
When Stephanopoulos pressed again, the VP launched into a tirade about This Week, accusing that ‘fewer and fewer people’ tune into the program and accusing the reporter of ‘going down some weird left-wing rabbit hole’ regarding the Homan issue, leading Stephanopoulos to cut the conversation altogether.
Vance complained, “And here’s, George, why fewer and fewer people watch your show, and why you’re losing credibility, because you’re talking for now five minutes with the vice president of the United States about this story regarding Tom Homan, a story that I have read about, but I don’t even know the video that you’re talking about.”
Stephanopoulos retorted, “It’s not a weird left-wing rabbit hole. I didn’t insinuate anything. I asked you whether Tom Homan accepted $50,000 as was heard on an audiotape recorded by the FBI in September 2024, and you did not answer the question.”
“Thank you for your time this morning,” he concluded, as the VP attempted to interject before the show transitioned to commercials.
ABC has been contacted for comment.