California Gov. Gavin Newsom (R) speaks as his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom (L) looks on during an election night gathering at the California Democrats headquarters on November 04, 2025 in Sacramento, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday accused President Donald Trump of ordering the Department of Justice to investigate the Democrat and his wife.
Newsom said in a post on X that Trump was motivated to target the governor and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom with the probe because of the fact that “I am considering running for President.“
The governor did not say what he understands the DOJ to be investigating, or if he even knows what it is.
“One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list,” Newsom said in a video statement. “And today, I proudly join that list.”
“After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me,” Newsom said. “They have not found a crime — they are simply trying to find one.”
But MS NOW on Monday reported that an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento, Calif., is investigating Newsom and Siebel Newsom, and that the probe is largely focused on her tax filings. That probe dates to early 2025 and is just one of several investigations that have encircled Newsom, his office and his family, according to two sources cited by MS NOW.
The DOJ’s public integrity section had been looking at potential tax fraud and evasion by Siebel Newsom, and had partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s office on that inquiry, the sources said. Siebel Newsom has been interviewed by investigators in that probe, which is focused on evidence suggesting personal use of nonprofit funds, MS NOW reported.
Newsom, in his statement, said, “Donald Trump picked the wrong target. We have nothing to hide.”
Newsom compared himself to other Trump foes who have found themselves targeted by the DOJ in the president’s second term in the White House, among them former FBI Director James Comey, former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The White House referred CNBC to the DOJ when asked for comment on Newsom’s allegation.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Newsom’s statement comes a month after his former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, 53, pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, subscribing to a false tax return, and making false statements to a federal agent.
Newsom’s office said the charges against Williamson related to conduct from before she worked for him. The office said the DOJ had offered her a deal after raiding her office in exchange for information about Newsom, but that Williamson’s lawyer has said there was nothing for her to give prosecutors because Newsom had not committed any crime.
Newsom, in his video statement, said federal agents in recent days “have knocked on the doors of family friends and former employees.”
“And just in the last week, I’ve learned his campaign has reached my own home: to get me, he’s coming after my wife, Jen,” Newsom said. “A public servant. A woman who has dedicated her life to supporting women and girls.”
Siebel Newsom is a documentary filmmaker.
Newsom said the DOJ is demanding records and “abusing the grand jury process” as part of the investigation.
“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said. “He’s coming after me because I am considering running for President.”
“Because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out – over and over again – for his lies and deceit,” the governor said. “Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt President in American history.”
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