On October 12, 2025, ABC’s This Week host George Stephanopoulos ended a tense on-air exchange with Vice President J.D. Vance, cutting the interview short after Vance repeatedly declined to address questions regarding bribery allegations involving Tom Homan.
What Escalated the Exchange
- Bribery Allegations Topic
Stephanopoulos pressed Vance about an alleged FBI sting from September 2024 that purportedly caught Tom Homan accepting a $50,000 cash bribe in return for promised government contracts. - Vance’s Response & Pushback
Vance denied the allegations, stating he had seen media reports but insisted there was “no evidence” of wrongdoing. He then criticized Stephanopoulos’ line of inquiry, accusing him of entertaining a “fake scandal.”
He added that the interview should focus on “real issues” rather than pursuing what he called a “weird left-wing rabbit hole.” - Abrupt End
After multiple back-and-forths, Stephanopoulos declared Vance had not addressed the core questions, thanked him for his time, and sent the show to commercial break.
Broader Context & Fallout
- The interview added fuel to the ongoing scrutiny over Tom Homan, a former border czar under the Trump administration, whose alleged involvement in a bribery scheme remains controversial.
- While the FBI reportedly closed the investigation without charging Homan, the allegations continue to reverberate in political media cycles.
- The cut of the interview drew criticism from both media observers and political partisans, with some viewing Stephanopoulos’ move as overreach and others as justified due to Vance’s evasiveness.
