California Governor Gavin Newsom Accuses DOJ of Targeted Investigation

Tue Jun 16 2026 17:50:09 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Governor Newsom claims federal investigators are probing his wife and former staff, alleging a political war fueled by a possible 2028 campaign.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has publicly warned that the FBI and the Justice Department are investigating individuals close to him, including his wife and former chief of staff. He says the probes are politically motivated after his outspoken opposition to President Donald Trump. Sources say the investigations began last year, targeting Tax issues surrounding wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom and alleged misconduct by a former staffer, Dana Williamson. Newsom accused "the President of corruption" and the DOJ of abusing the grand jury process. He places himself among a growing list of Trump critics facing investigations by the Justice Department.

California Governor Gavin Newsom Accuses DOJ of Targeted Investigation

California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a video on Monday claiming the U.S. Department of Justice is pressuring his wife and former staff over political disputes. “Federal agents have knocked at the door of family, friends and former employees…not because they found crime, but because they’re simply trying to find one,” he said.

Newsom, who has long positioned himself as an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump, hinted that the probes are retaliation for his potential 2028 presidential bid, calling the investigations “political persecution.” He added, “We have nothing to hide.”

One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list—and today, I proudly joined that list.

Sources familiar with the case confirmed that several investigations have been active for about a year, focusing on the wife’s tax filings and “roughly a” former chief of staff, though the governor has not named which aide. The justice department has also investigated other Trump critics such as former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, but none led to prosecution.

The former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, previously pleaded guilty in May for a campaign‑finance fraud scheme that did not implicate Newsom. Newsom’s office states that her conduct was “entirely unrelated to him.”

The Justice Department’s probe into financiers such as former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell was dropped after political pressure, illustrating the intersecting politics and investigations that now envelop Newsom’s sphere. The White House and DOJ declined to comment.

With the 2028 election on the horizon, Newsom’s comments fuel speculation that he will leverage his heightened profile on the national stage to seek the presidency. The governor’s remarks echo a broader trend of Washington‑level investigations targeting the most vocal opponents of Trump’s administration.