California Governor Gavin Newsom stated on Monday that President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) to investigate him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
In a video statement, Newsom revealed that federal agents have recently approached family friends and former employees, demanding records and allegedly abusing the grand jury process in an effort to uncover a crime.
“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. Because he hates that I have consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit,” Newsom said.
A source familiar with the matter informed the Guardian that the administration has been conducting several investigations into the California governor for approximately a year. These include a probe into his wife’s taxes and another related to his former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who recently pleaded guilty to fraud in federal court, as well as potentially current staff members. The source indicated that the investigations originated in California, specifically from the U.S. attorney’s office for the eastern district of California, which includes Sacramento, the state capital.
The Justice Department and the FBI declined to comment on the matter.
On Monday evening, Newsom’s office demanded that the Trump administration release records related to the investigation, posting a Freedom of Information Act request on his social media account. “The American people deserve to know who ordered this abuse of power and how far it goes,” Newsom stated.
Newsom and Trump have a history of clashes. California has sued the administration more than 60 times during Trump’s second term, including over the president’s decision to deploy the U.S. military to Los Angeles last summer. Trump previously called for Newsom’s arrest for allegedly obstructing immigration enforcement operations in the state.
In his Monday statement, Newsom referenced other political rivals of the president who have faced investigations, such as James Comey, Letitia James, and Tim Walz. “One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hitlist. And today, I proudly join that list,” Newsom said.
However, he criticized the administration for targeting his wife. “You can subpoena my records. You can investigate me. You can harass me. Put my name on every and any enemy’s list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta,” Newsom asserted.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom has become a frequent target of the right in recent months as her husband has emerged as an early frontrunner among Democrats for the presidential nomination. Prominent conservatives have criticized her advocacy for equal pay and gender equity, while columnists have claimed she is “single-handedly wrecking” Newsom’s presidential ambitions.
Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, described the Newsoms as a “grifter family.”
Sam Levine contributed reporting.
