California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly accused the U.S. Department of Justice of investigating him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, as part of a politically motivated effort directed by former President Donald Trump. Newsom made the allegations on June 15, describing recent federal agent activity targeting his associates and demanding records and banking information [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11].
Newsom said the investigations focus in part on his wife's finances and tax issues. "To get me, he’s coming after my wife," Newsom told reporters [1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11]. He claimed the probes are retaliation linked to his potential 2028 presidential candidacy, stating, "Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets, he’s coming after me because I am considering running for president" and "One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list. And today, I proudly join that list" [2, 4, 5, 8].
Federal agents recently questioned Newsom’s friends, family, former employees, and associates, subpoenaing records and banking information over roughly the past year. Newsom called the investigations "an abuse of the grand jury process," accusing authorities of conducting a fishing expedition without evidence of crimes. "In recent days, federal agents have knocked on the door of family, friends, and former employees. Not because they found crime, because they're simply trying to find one," he said [1, 3, 4, 10, 11].
One of the investigations reportedly centers on his wife's financial and tax matters, though multiple probes have been ongoing for about a year, originating from whistleblower complaints and local California sources, not explicitly ordered by Trump or senior DOJ officials in Washington, according to some sources [1, 3, 7, 11].
Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, pleaded guilty in May to federal campaign finance fraud charges unrelated to Newsom but connected to his political circle. Newsom’s team said the DOJ probe is political retribution meant to target critics of Trump ahead of the next presidential race [1, 11]. A team memo stated: "He ordered this investigation because the Governor is considering a run for President. Donald Trump is not investigating a crime. He is investigating a critic" [11].
The Justice Department and FBI declined to comment publicly on the investigations [3, 4, 11]. The Trump administration has also pursued investigations and prosecutions against other political adversaries including James Comey, Letitia James, Jerome Powell, Adam Schiff, and Tim Walz [2, 7, 8, 11].
In June 2025, Trump publicly called for Newsom’s arrest amid California immigration enforcement protests, setting a hostile context before the investigations intensified [8]. Newsom’s public statements and the DOJ activity have escalated sharply this month, with no indication of resolution yet [s1–s12].
