Vice President JD Vance faced intense questioning during Sunday morning television appearances on October 12, 2025, culminating in ABC’s “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos abruptly cutting his microphone and ending the interview after a heated exchange over border czar Tom Homan’s alleged bribery scandal.
The confrontation occurred during Vance’s appearance on “This Week,” where Stephanopoulos pressed the vice president about reports that Homan accepted $50,000 from FBI agents conducting a sting operation in September 2024. When Vance repeatedly deflected the question and accused the anchor of pursuing a “weird left-wing rabbit hole,” Stephanopoulos took decisive action.
Stephanopoulos terminated the interview, stating firmly: “You did not answer the question. Thank you for your time this morning.” The host then cut Vance’s microphone and threw to commercial over the vice president’s continued objections.
The dramatic conclusion came after Vance defended Homan, stating unequivocally that the border czar “did not take a bribe” while simultaneously acknowledging he may have accepted the $50,000 from agents for what Vance characterized as legitimate reasons. Vance challenged the premise of Stephanopoulos’ questioning, arguing that the FBI has not prosecuted Homan and asserting he had never seen evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
The ABC interview capped what sources described as a contentious tour of Sunday press shows for Vance. Earlier that morning, he appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with host Kristen Welker, where he faced tough questions about President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice and recent indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
During the “Meet the Press” segment, Welker questioned whether the Department of Justice was acting on orders from Trump to prosecute his political opponents, referencing reports about a recent Trump social media post that was allegedly meant as a direct message to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Vance responded by defending the president’s right to have opinions about federal law enforcement as the chief executive officer of the federal government.
Welker regularly pushed back on Vance’s defense of National Guard deployments in American cities and the Trump DOJ’s prosecutions, though that interview ended on more agreeable terms compared to the explosive ABC confrontation. The contrast in interview conclusions highlighted the escalating tension between the administration and network hosts.
Stephanopoulos, who was at the center of a Trump defamation lawsuit that ABC settled for $15 million, extended no courtesies to the vice president during their exchange. The host criticized Vance’s evasiveness and pressed him repeatedly on the specific allegations against Homan, particularly focusing on the FBI’s recorded audio tape from the September 2024 incident.
The bribery allegations surrounding Homan have become a significant political liability for the administration. Vance attempted to frame the controversy as media-driven, telling Stephanopoulos that nobody, including what he termed “far-left media,” had formally accused Homan of committing a crime. He questioned the precise nature of the allegations while defending Homan’s record.
The vice president’s accusation that Stephanopoulos was pursuing a politically motivated line of questioning proved to be the breaking point in their exchange. Vance’s characterization of the anchor’s questions as part of a “weird left-wing rabbit hole” prompted Stephanopoulos to immediately terminate the interview without the customary closing pleasantries typically afforded to high-ranking government officials.
The incident represents a rare occurrence in television journalism where a network host cuts off a sitting vice president’s microphone during a live interview. Such dramatic confrontations between administration officials and television hosts have become increasingly common during Trump’s second term, reflecting the adversarial relationship between the White House and certain media outlets.
The October 12 interviews highlighted ongoing questions about the Trump administration’s approach to law enforcement and the extent of political influence over Department of Justice decisions. Vance’s appearances were intended to defend administration policies but instead generated controversy over his handling of difficult questions about corruption allegations.
