SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 6 (Our California Times) — Gov. Gavin Newsom accused President Donald Trump of ordering a Justice Department probe into him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, even as multiple reports said at least one California inquiry began during the Biden administration.
In a public X post and video statement Monday, Newsom called the investigation a “fishing expedition” and said Trump had put him and his wife on a “hit list.” The reporting reviewed did not identify any charges against Newsom.
CalMatters reported, citing a Justice Department source familiar with the matter, 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. It said one inquiry involving former Newsom chief of staff Dana Williamson was opened during the Biden administration, and that Williamson pleaded guilty in May in a separate corruption case that did not implicate the governor.
Other outlets, including Fox News, Axios, NBC News, The New York Times and the Daily Wire, cited sources saying the inquiries began in California, not at Justice Department headquarters in Washington, and were tied to whistleblowers or local complaints in Sacramento. ABC Australia cited a source saying Washington leadership was involved in the decision to initiate the inquiries. The reporting did not identify court filings, docket numbers or the full legal theory behind the investigations.
