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The Washington-based watchdog is calling for an inspector general investigation into potential conflicts of interest and ethics violations in border czar Tom Homan’s office related to government contracts.
This follows a ProPublica report that revealed past business relationships involving Homan, his senior adviser Mark Hall, and consultants and companies seeking contracts with the Department of Homeland Security.
The petition from the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan government watchdog, also cited an MSNBC article that reported that Homan accepted $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as potential DHS contractors seeking help securing contracts.
ProPublica revealed that in August, Hall met with companies interested in winning immigration detention contracts. Charlie Sowell, a payroll consultant for ITS, also attended the meeting, held at the Texas office of a company called Industrial Tent Systems.
Government disclosure documents show Mr. Sowell paid Mr. Hall a $50,000 consulting fee as recently as February — just before Mr. Hall joined the border czar’s office under Homan.
Sowell also had a business relationship with Homan. Before becoming border czar, Homan worked with Sowell’s company, SE&M Solutions, advising clients seeking DHS contracts, according to government documents and interviews with Sowell. Sowell told ProPublica in June that he avoided any conflicts of interest with Homan. “Tom is a very ethical person,” Sowell said, declining further requests for an interview.
The CLC said the August meeting between Hall, ITS and Sowell may have violated federal ethics laws and requires an independent investigation.
In an Oct. 16 letter to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cafari, the CLC said, “The involvement of a senior official in a contract decision that benefits a recent former employer raises serious questions about whether the government’s decision-making is fair.”
“An investigation by the IG is necessary to determine whether Mr. Hall’s actions violate federal ethics laws.”
White House press secretary Abigail Jackson dismissed calls for an investigation into Homan’s office. “Tom has always acted with the utmost integrity and worked tirelessly to protect the safety of all Americans,” she said, adding that recent reporting “debunks the left’s talking points.”
Jackson said Homan was “not involved in the actual awarding of government contracts” and that Hall was not authorized by Homan to act as his agent.
Mr. Homan, Mr. Hall and the inspector general’s office did not respond to requests for comment on the letter. Industrial Tent Systems did not respond to requests for comment.
Congress recently allocated $45 billion for a major expansion of immigrant detention space, including plans to build an unprecedented series of tent camps on military bases across the country. The windfall of government funds has sparked intense interest among DHS contractors and consultants, including some with past business ties to Mr. Hall and Mr. Homan.
Ethics experts say both men are bound by conflict of interest rules that prohibit them from getting involved in government discussions that could affect their former business partners.
Homan has repeatedly said he has recused himself from any contract issues. However, ProPublica and Bloomberg reported that he was involved in contract conversations with industry players. Neither DHS nor the White House provided the formal denials requested by ProPublica.
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In a separate ethics complaint centered on Mr. Homan, the CLC is asking the IG to “investigate whether Mr. Homan intentionally omitted information from his financial disclosure reports in violation of federal criminal law.”
The ethics lawsuit alleges that Homan’s receipt of $50,000 from an undercover FBI agent should have been reported on a financial disclosure form.
Homan not only said he had done nothing illegal, but also claimed he had never recently received $50,000.
“This issue arose under the previous administration and was the subject of a full review by FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors,” Jackson said this week. “No credible evidence of criminal activity was found.”
