California Governor Gavin Newsom says the U.S. Justice Department is investigating him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, after federal agents contacted family members and former employees. Newsom accused President Trump of weaponizing the DOJ against him, claiming the probe is retaliation for critical posts and his potential presidential run. He called on Trump to leave his family out of what he called a personal vendetta.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) announced Tuesday that the U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, alleging that federal agents have contacted family members and former employees in recent days to find a crime. In a statement, Newsom described the probe as a politically motivated abuse of power by President Donald Trump, linking it to critical posts he made about the president and his consideration of a 2028 presidential run.
"They're demanding documents, they're abusing the grand jury process, digging through random documents from years and years ago," Newsom said. "Donald Trump is not just coming after me because of my mean tweets — he's coming after me because I'm considering running for president."
Newsom also published a video Tuesday directly addressing Trump, saying: "You can demand my documents. You can investigate me. You can harass me. Put my name on whatever enemies list you have, but do not drag my wife and family into your personal vendetta."
The announcement follows a thread The Zioneer has tracked: an investigation opened earlier Tuesday into Newsom's wife and former chief of staff over suspected tax issues, as The Zioneer reported at 02:20. Newsom and Trump have a long history of political attacks ranging from climate policy and the California National Guard deployment to the state's hospice care fraud scandal, with Trump in 2025 calling for Newsom's arrest over alleged immigration enforcement obstruction.
Newsom has not formally declared a presidential campaign but is widely seen as a leading Democratic contender. The DOJ has not commented publicly on the investigation.
2 developments
- DevelopingInvestigation opened against California Governor Newsom's wife and former chief of staff over taxes
- DevelopingTrump administration launches largest-ever denaturalization effort, CBS reports
- StrongSenior American official: Trump frustrated with talks, losing patience — 'violent assaults on Iran's infrastructure' ahead
- StrongTrump walks out of NBC News interview after dispute over 2020 election claims
Source and signal
- Internal intake