California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims President Donald Trump has directed the Justice Department to investigate him and his family, in what could be the most significant escalation yet of the administration’s legal campaign against top critics of the president.
“One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list, and today I proudly join that list,” Newsom said in a video statement posted on X.
“He isn’t coming after me because of mean tweets, but because I am considering running for President,” Newsom’s social media post read.
Newsom, a vocal Trump antagonist and top contender for the 2028 presidential race, said federal agents had been scrutinizing him and his wife, as well as reaching out to friends and former employees.
The Democrat alleged that the Justice Department was “abusing the grand jury process” and “digging through years and years of random documents.”
“Donald Trump picked the wrong target,” Newsom added. “We have nothing to hide.”
The White House referred questions from The Independent to the DOJ, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last year, Trump endorsed arresting Newsom, who was sparring at the time with the administration over ICE operations in the state.
The pair frequently battle on social media, and Trump often refers to Newsom with the insulting nickname “Gavin Newscum.”
Newsom, for his part, has been sharply critical of the Trump administration, including over the mass ICE operation in Los Angeles last summer. The state successfully challenged the White House push to nationalize the California National Guard as part of the president’s deportation campaign.
Multiple federal investigations related to Newsom are currently underway, including one looking into the finances of his wife, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, The New York Times reports. A source familiar with the matter told the paper the investigations originated from federal officials in California, rather than those in Washington.
Newsom, a filmmaker, is the founder or co-founder of multiple nonprofits, including the Representation Project, which advocates for gender equity, and the California Partners Project, which advocates for women to join corporate boards. She is also the owner of Girls Club Entertainment, a film production company. In 2024, the Representation Project paid Girls Club $161,250 for film production work, according to the paper.
The governor has reported directing more than $4 million in donations from prominent state corporations, donors, and political groups towards the California Partners Project.
Earlier this month, Gov. Newsom agreed to pay a $31,500 fine related to political spending, after a state watchdog agency found he missed deadlines to report millions of dollars of corporate donations he steered towards the 2025 Los Angeles fires recovery effort.
In May, a former chief of staff to Newsom and ex-adviser to current gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra pleaded guilty to three felonies in a sprawling corruption case. She told federal officials she didn’t witness any criminal conduct by Newsom.
Critics accuse the president of launching a string of politically motivated cases against rivals and antagonists, a so-called “revenge tour” that has included investigations and indictments against former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Jerome Powell of the Federal Reserve, and the writer E. Jean Caroll, whom federal juries found Trump was liable for sexually abusing and defaming.
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