SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 6 (Our California Times) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused President Donald Trump and the Justice Department on Monday of targeting him and his wife in a politically motivated investigation, even as reports from multiple outlets said at least part of the inquiry began before Trump returned to office.
In a post on X and a video statement, Newsom called the inquiry a “fishing expedition” and said he and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were being put on a “hit list.” He said Trump was using the Justice Department to go after political critics.
But multiple reports, citing people familiar with the matter, said the investigative activity tied to Newsom’s orbit started during the Biden administration or about a year ago. A Justice Department source familiar with the matter told Fox News that the inquiries originated from whistleblowers and local complaints in Sacramento, not at Justice Department headquarters in Washington.
A separate DOJ source familiar with the matter told CalMatters that there have been at least two criminal investigations involving Newsom’s orbit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California for about a year. CalMatters also reported that one inquiry involving former Newsom chief of staff Dana Williamson was opened during the Biden administration.
According to that reporting, Williamson later pleaded guilty in May in a corruption case that did not implicate Newsom. Fox News and other outlets said the investigations were handled in California, including Sacramento, rather than in Washington.
The exact scope of the inquiries remains unclear. The reports do not identify the full legal theory behind them, and they do not establish that Newsom himself is a formal target of a criminal case.
