Gavin Newsom says Trump Justice Department is investigating him and his wife
By Eric Bradner, Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN
(CNN) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday that the Department of Justice is investigating him and his wife, claiming that President Donald Trump is targeting a “political enemy” despite no evidence the potential 2028 presidential contender has committed a crime.
Newsom said in a video posted to social media that Trump’s administration is also targeting his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
“If he can’t intimidate me, he’ll go after the mother of our children,” Newsom said. “Donald Trump picked the wrong target. We have nothing to hide.”
A source familiar with the matter told CNN there’s no investigation directly into Newsom, but the Eastern District of California is leading probes into people connected to him — including Jennifer Siebel Newsom over possible tax-related crimes.
The person said that the Justice Department’s political leadership was not involved in that investigation’s origin, saying the probe had instead been prompted by whistleblower reports last year.
Gavin Newsom said Trump “can subpoena my records, you can investigate me, you can harass me, put my name on every and any enemies list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta.”
CNN has reached out to the FBI for comment. The Justice Department declined to comment.
The New York Times first reported Newsom’s announcement.
Newsom, 58, has become one of Trump’s chief Democratic antagonists — often mocking the president’s style on social media. The two have clashed over Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts, including the president’s effort to federalize the California National Guard, which was halted by courts.
When Trump sought to buoy the GOP’s slim House majority in this year’s midterm elections by pushing Texas to redraw their congressional districts and hand Republicans five more winnable seats, Newsom successfully lobbied voters to sign off on a measure that scrapped the state’s districts drawn by an independent commission in favor of new maps that could hand Democrats five more seats and neutralize the GOP’s Texas gains.
Newsom is widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender. That Democratic contest is certain to draw a wide field of candidates, many of whom are already jockeying for position by demonstrating their abilities to take on Trump.
What Newsom says about the investigation
Newsom’s office said federal agents have contacted people and organizations connected to both the governor and his wife, and have issued subpoenas for records and conducted interviews related to years of personal and professional activity. In recent weeks, Newsom’s office said, the federal probe expanded to focus on his family and professional network.
Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, was indicted in November 2025 on federal charges alleging her involvement in a scheme to steal campaign money from former US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, for whom she also worked. Those allegations stem from actions before she worked for Newsom. She pleaded guilty to three of those 23 charges last month.
The probes into Newsom’s wife and Williamson were opened last year, a person familiar with the matter said. Investigators have since held interviews with potential witnesses and have issued grand jury subpoenas in both matters, the person said.
Newsom’s office, pointing to past comments from Williamson’s attorney, said federal investigators last year offered Williamson leniency in exchange for information about Newsom, but that she had nothing to share.
Becerra is running to replace Newsom in the governor’s office. He is set to take on Republican Steve Hilton, who is backed by Trump, in November’s general election. During the primary, multiple prominent candidates blasted Becerra for Williamson’s conduct — with Becerra responding that he had not been implicated.
Trump opponents have faced probes
The Justice Department has opened investigations into several of Trump’s political foes, some of which have sputtered in court.
Prosecutors brought cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James in the fall, both of which were dismissed by judges who found the US attorneys overseeing the cases were improperly serving.
The department tried again to bring a case against James, but has not yet been successful.
As for Comey, a grand jury in North Carolina recently indicted him in an unrelated criminal probe — this time for posting a photo of seashells to social media that were arranged to read “86 47.” Sometimes 86 is used to mean “nix” and Trump is the 47th president.
The Justice Department also has a long-running criminal investigation into former CIA Director John Brennan — one of Trump’s top foes and a vocal critic of the president.
Last month, CNN reported the Justice Department also launched an investigation around Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll.
In his video, Newsom called Trump “a man with no character” and said Trump “is selling the presidency.”
“To Donald Trump, this country does not belong to you. It does not belong to your cronies. And we’re going to fight your lawlessness. And we’re going to continue to remind the people of this country of your corruption,” Newsom said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The-CNN-Wire
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