Sunday morning interviews are supposed to be serious forums for national dialogue, but this weekend’s Face the Nation–style moment on ABC News became something entirely different: a gotcha attempt turned into a public self-own. Vice President J.D. Vance went head-to-head with George Stephanopoulos, and when the veteran media host tried to ambush him over unproven bribery allegations against border czar Tom Homan, he got far more than he bargained for.
The exchange was sharp, unfiltered, and—ultimately—one-sided. Stephanopoulos pushed Vance repeatedly on whether Homan accepted a $50,000 bribe from undercover FBI agents in 2024. He cited an audio recording that MSNBC reported on months ago, claiming it featured Homan accepting cash from individuals he believed to be business executives. But the FBI closed the investigation. The White House publicly stated that Homan never accepted the money. Even now, no charges have been filed, no wrongdoing proven.
Yet here was Stephanopoulos, grilling the sitting vice president on unsubstantiated allegations that even federal law enforcement dropped without action.
“I don’t know what tape you’re referring to, George,” Vance said calmly but firmly. “There’s no evidence of that. And here’s why fewer and fewer people watch your program and why you’re losing credibility. Because you’re talking for five minutes with the vice president of the United States about this story… a story I’ve read about, but I don’t even know the video you’re talking about.”
Then came the fatal blow: “You’re going down some weird left-wing rabbit hole, where the facts clearly show that Tom Homan didn’t engage in any criminal wrongdoing.”
That was the end of the interview.
Rather than respond or defend the relevance of the segment, Stephanopoulos abruptly cut it off with a curt, “Thank you for your time this morning.” Vance attempted to reply again, but the host had already moved on, leaving viewers with a question: What exactly was the point of the segment?
The fallout was swift. Vance took to X to torch the exchange, writing: “George S doesn’t care about [the Middle East peace deal or the shutdown]. He’s here to focus on the real story: a fake scandal involving Tom Homan.”
Peace in the Middle East? China threatening critical supply chains? Government shutdown?
George S doesn’t care about that. He’s here to focus on the real story: a fake scandal involving Tom Homan. https://t.co/LuIFo3QSTi
— JD Vance (@JDVance) October 12, 2025
Indeed, Vance’s frustration echoes a wider conservative sentiment about legacy media: When real issues are front and center—the border crisis, federal spending battles, and historic foreign policy breakthroughs—networks like ABC would rather dig up long-dismissed accusations that conveniently align with their political narrative.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt already addressed the so-called scandal back in September, calling it what it was: “an example of the weaponization of the Biden Department of Justice.” Her response was clear: “Mr. Homan never took the $50,000… this was a failed entrapment attempt.”
Still, the media persists—because the narrative is too good to let go, even when the facts don’t stick.
