Vance, Stephanopoulos Bicker Over Homan Questions

Vice President JD Vance sparred Sunday with George Stephanopoulos in a discussion with the ABC host asked about White House border czar Tom Homan.

The segment on "This Week" ended with Stephanopoulos saying "You did not answer the question" even as Vance tried one final time to rebut him.

Their interview, which began with a discussion of the Middle East cease-fire, grew increasingly contentious as Stephanopoulos raised reporting by ProPublica (a news publication that Vance referred to as "a far-left blog") about Republican Cabinet members and their mortgages, then moved to the subject of a $50,000 cash payment that Homan reportedly received in a paper bag from undercover FBI agents. Attorney General Pam Bondi was quizzed about Homan last week during a sometimes volatile Senate hearing and repeatedly rejected any insinuations about Homan's conduct. “You’re not going to sit here and slander Tom Homan," Bondi told Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) at one point.

On Sunday, Stephanopoulos queried: "The White House border czar Tom Homan was recorded on an FBI surveillance tape in September 2024 accepting $50,000 in cash. Did he keep that money or give it back?"

After Vance responded that Homan "did not take a bribe" and characterized discussion of the subject as "a ridiculous smear," Stephanopoulos said: "I'm not sure you answered the question. Are you saying that he did not accept the $50,000?"

Vance circled back: "He did not take a bribe. Did he accept $50,000? I'm sure that in the course of Tom Homan's life, he has been paid more than $50,000 for services. The question is, did he do something illegal? And there's absolutely no evidence that Tom Homan has ever taken a bribe."

The ABC host said in response: "No, I'm asking a different question," setting off a back-and-forth that included Vance saying, "George, I don't know what you're talking about" and: "Here's George why fewer and fewer people watch your program and why you're losing credibility: because you're talking for now, five minutes with the vice president of United States about this story regarding Tom Homan, a story that I've read about, but I don't even know the video that you're talking about."

Stephanopoulos then wrapped up the interview: "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."

Vance was attempting to reply when the interview stopped.