SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, accused the Justice Department on Monday of launching a politically motivated investigation into him and his wife, alleging that the Trump administration is targeting him as he considers a potential presidential run.
In a video posted on X, Newsom stated that federal agents have contacted his friends and former employees and have requested records. The governor did not provide specific details about the nature of the probe, but his office indicated that the inquiry has recently expanded to include "increasingly personal matters involving the Governor's family and professional network."
"Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets," Newsom said, referencing his social media posts mocking the president. "He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president, because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit."
The full scope of the Justice Department's inquiries related to Newsom remains unclear, but the revelation is likely to intensify accusations that the Trump administration is using federal law enforcement to target political opponents. A person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied the existence of an investigation specifically targeting Newsom, but confirmed multiple federal probes into people around him, including one related to his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom's taxes.
That probe began last year and was initiated without involvement from political leadership in Washington.
Another investigation concerns Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who was indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in connection with a scheme to steal campaign funds from former federal Health Secretary Xavier Becerra. Williamson pleaded guilty in May.
That probe, launched under President Joe Biden's Justice Department, has expanded to include other staff members. Newsom has not been accused of wrongdoing in that case.
The Justice Department declined to comment. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche avoided questions about Newsom during a photo opportunity with Senator Chuck Grassley.
Newsom's office accused the Justice Department of "searching for a crime that does not exist." Jennifer Siebel Newsom stated that the investigation shows Trump is unfit for office, saying, "There are clearly no boundaries to what Donald Trump will do to get his way."
The investigation is the latest in a series of Justice Department actions against Trump's political foes, including former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Newsom, a longtime Trump rival, has led California's pushback against the administration on issues such as emissions standards, wildfire aid, and transgender student-athlete policies.
The state has filed numerous lawsuits against the federal government.