{"id":362545,"date":"2026-06-16T08:31:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T08:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/362545\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T08:31:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T08:31:23","slug":"newsom-says-doj-conducting-baseless-investigation-of-him-wife-at-trumps-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/362545\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsom says DOJ conducting baseless investigation of him, wife at Trump’s direction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday accused the Justice Department of launching \u2014 at President Trump\u2019s request \u2014 a baseless and politically motivated investigation into him and his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter calling for my arrest<\/a> last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me,\u201d Newsom said. \u201cAnd just in the last week, I\u2019ve learned his campaign has reached my own home: To get me, he\u2019s coming after my wife, Jen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsom adamantly denied any wrongdoing by him or his wife. The White House declined to respond to Newsom\u2019s allegations that Trump was involved in instigating the probes, referring all questions to the Justice Department, which declined to comment.<\/p>\n

A source familiar with the matter who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly told The Times that there are two federal probes underway, one related to Newsom\u2019s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson,<\/a> and one related to Siebel Newsom\u2019s taxes.<\/p>\n

The source said both investigations have been ongoing for about a year, were launched by federal prosecutors in Sacramento based on information provided by whistleblowers in California, and were not the result of directives out of Washington.<\/p>\n

Lauren Horwood, a spokesperson for the office of U.S. Atty. Eric Grant, a Trump appointee who oversees federal prosecutors in Sacramento, said the office \u201cdoes not confirm or deny the existence of investigations.\u201d <\/p>\n

Siebel Newsom, in her own statement, said there \u201care clearly no boundaries to what Donald Trump will do to get his way or to challenge those who get in his way,\u201d and that she and the governor \u201cwill continue to speak truth to power.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsom said that in recent days, \u201cfederal agents have knocked on the doors of family friends and former employees,\u201d and have been \u201cdemanding records,\u201d \u201cdigging through years and years of random documents\u201d and \u201cabusing the grand jury process\u201d in a quest to find any kind of wrongdoing by him or his wife. \u201cNot because they found a crime. Because they are simply trying to find one.\u201d <\/p>\n

Newsom\u2019s office said previous allegations<\/a> of wrongdoing by Newsom in his handling of Activision Blizzard Inc., a video game company that Williamson\u2019s consulting company once represented, did not appear to be a focus of the current investigations.<\/p>\n

However, Newsom\u2019s office said it had recently become aware of a new flurry of work by federal authorities, including from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service, looking for wrongdoing in the personal affairs of the governor and those close to him, and now suspects federal investigators issued grand jury subpoenas to financial institutions for records from nonprofits and other entities tied to him and Siebel Newsom.<\/p>\n

It said neither Newsom nor his wife have been subpoenaed, but that they expect to be. It said that they both release annual reports on their income, assets and any gifts they receive.<\/p>\n

A longtime documentary filmmaker, Siebel Newsom in 2011 founded the Representation Project, a nonprofit focused on challenging gender stereotypes. She earned a salary of $161,250 from the nonprofit, according to federal forms filed in 2024, while her film company Girls Club Entertainment LLC was paid $161,250 by it.<\/p>\n

The nonprofit has faced criticism for accepting donations from companies, including Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and AT&T, that lobby the governor. <\/p>\n

The couple also works with and benefits from the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit created during Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger\u2019s administration that pays for events and gubernatorial trips. Similar nonprofits have existed since the 1980s. Siebel Newsom is also behind the California Partners Project, which champions gender equity, but doesn\u2019t receive a salary for that work, according to federal forms.<\/p>\n

Newsom\u2019s office said the governor chose to make a public statement about the investigations Monday because he thought it was important to inform the public directly about what he sees as a Trump-directed attack on him and his wife.<\/p>\n

In his video address, Newsom alleged that Trump instigated the probes because Newsom is considering running for president in 2028 and routinely calls out Trump\u2019s \u201clies and deceit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has turned the levers of government into his own personal power ministries to reward cronies and to try to jail his opponents,\u201d Newsom said. <\/p>\n

Newsom cited Justice Department investigations of several other of the president\u2019s political opponents, including Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey, and former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list,\u201d Newsom said. \u201cAnd today, I proudly join that list.\u201d<\/p>\n

Federal authorities arrested Williamson last year<\/a> following a three-year-long investigation that began during the Biden administration. She pleaded guilty to three counts<\/a> last month. She admitted she lied to FBI agents who interviewed her about her role in the state\u2019s handling of alleged sexual harassment<\/a> at Activision Blizzard Inc., which she had represented as a consultant before joining Newsom\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Williamson\u2019s attorney, McGregor Scott, a former U.S. attorney in Sacramento, told The Times that federal authorities had approached Williamson before her arrest seeking help with an investigation of the governor, and he believed investigators were looking into the governor and Activision.<\/p>\n

Williamson\u2019s plea agreement stated that she lied to the FBI when she was interviewed about her role in \u201cpassing information to former clients and business partners to give them an advantage in litigation against the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s Department of Fair Employment and Housing in 2021 sued Activision Blizzard<\/a>, which distributes video games such as \u201cCall of Duty\u201d and \u201cCandy Crush,\u201d alleging that company officials discriminated against women, paid them less than men and ignored reports of egregious sexual harassment. Activision officials denied the allegations.<\/p>\n

The case again drew national attention the next year when the state lawyer overseeing the case, Janette Wipper, was fired by the Newsom administration, and her chief deputy resigned and alleged that she was doing so to protest alleged interference of Newsom\u2019s office, which it denied. <\/p>\n

On Monday, Newsom\u2019s office said it believed federal prosecutors had launched the latest probes after realizing the Activision accusations were bogus, in an attempt to find anything that might stick against the governor or those closest to him.<\/p>\n

The investigations mark the latest targeting of prominent Democrats since Trump returned to office. The Justice Department has lost cases brought against James, Comey and Powell. <\/p>\n

Schiff has not been charged with a crime, but was accused by the president of mortgage fraud<\/a>, which he denies. He has denounced Trump for turning the Justice Department into a vehicle for pursuing political vendettas, and on Monday denounced the investigations of Newsom and his wife as more of the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe President\u2019s abuse of the Justice Department continues, with new targets every day,\u201d Schiff posted to X, atop the governor\u2019s video address. \u201cThe Governor won\u2019t be silenced. Nor will my Senate colleagues. Nor will I. In the face of vindictive and baseless investigations, we are defiant and unbowed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grant, the top federal prosecutor in Sacramento, was first appointed as an interim leader of the office in August by then-U.S. Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi, and later reappointed by the district\u2019s panel of judges. Unlike the prosecutors who have gone after other Democrats, he has a decades-long career in the department.<\/p>\n

In a March interview<\/a>, Grant said it was a \u201cvery important principle\u201d of his to \u201cprosecute and investigate without fear or favor, and that means without regard to partisan affiliation, without regard to whether the target is rich and powerful, or friend, or a foe of any particular person.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, whatever you read about the rest of the country,\u201d he said, \u201cin the Eastern District of California, that is an important principle to which we adhere, and to which we shall adhere, as long as I hold this office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsom has built his reputation as a Democratic leader off his antagonistic relationship with Trump, and some experts said the investigations into him and his wife could help him in the 2028 presidential race.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of the new laws of politics that Donald Trump has ushered in: Whoever he attacks becomes the tip of the spear, the standard upon which the Democratic Party rallies around,\u201d said Mike Madrid, a Republican political consultant. \u201cFor the presumed front-runner of the Democratic nomination, there is no bigger gift.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within hours, Newsom was fundraising off the probes \u2014 asking supporters to help him \u201cfight off this political witch hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday accused the Justice Department of launching \u2014 at President Trump\u2019s request \u2014 a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":362546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[147310,147309,41031,1054,53304,75791,4515,48,52,51,47,50,49,3290,34060,3020,6247,1519,2805,4609,92614],"class_list":["post-362545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-alleged-probe","tag-baseless-investigation","tag-direction","tag-doj","tag-family-friend","tag-former-employee","tag-justice-department","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-newsom","tag-opponent","tag-president-trump","tag-request","tag-trump","tag-white-house","tag-wife","tag-wrongdoing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/362546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}