On Monday, Gavin Newsom turned an alleged DOJ investigation into a 2028 campaign warning: he accused Donald Trump of directing federal law enforcement against him and Jennifer Siebel Newsom because he is “considering running for president.”
The Gavin Newsom DOJ investigation claim, reported by Guardian World, is more than a personal defense. Newsom is framing the inquiry as evidence that Trump’s second-term Justice Department is being used to pressure future rivals before the next presidential race fully forms.
On Monday, Newsom made the DOJ probe a 2028 issue
Newsom said in a video statement that federal agents had knocked on doors of family friends and former employees in recent days, demanded records, and were “abusing the grand jury process.” His argument was blunt: investigators were not following evidence toward a crime, they were trying to manufacture one.
“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.
That line matters because it ties the alleged investigation directly to presidential politics. Newsom is not merely saying he is under scrutiny. He is saying a sitting president is using the Department of Justice against a possible future opponent and that opponent’s spouse.
The Justice Department and the FBI declined to comment, according to the Guardian. NBC News reported that the White House referred questions to the DOJ, which also declined to comment.
XOOMAR analysis: Newsom’s strongest political move is also the biggest evidentiary gap. He has made the allegation before the public has seen records showing who ordered what, when, and why.
The evidence trail so far: agents, records, subpoenas, and missing documents
The known public record has several pieces, but it does not yet add up to a complete map of the alleged probe.
| Claim or fact | Public status |
|---|---|
| Newsom says Trump directed the DOJ to investigate him and his wife | Allegation by Newsom, not independently documented in the supplied material |
| Agents contacted family friends and former employees | Alleged by Newsom, with NBC reporting aides said more than a dozen people were contacted |
| Records were demanded or subpoenaed | Alleged by Newsom’s office and reported by NBC and USA Today |
| DOJ and FBI response | Declined to comment |
| Investigations originated in California | A source familiar with the matter told the Guardian they originated in California, not Washington |
| Eastern District of California role | Guardian and NBC reported the matter is being run by the U.S. attorney’s office for the eastern district of California |
NBC News reported that aides to Newsom said more than a dozen people were contacted by FBI and IRS agents about the governor and his wife. Those aides said some questions involved specific financial transactions that, in their view, suggested investigators had business records or credit card statements.
A source familiar with the matter told the Guardian the administration has been conducting several investigations of Newsom for roughly a year, including one involving his wife and her taxes, and one connected to former chief of staff Dana Williamson, who recently pleaded guilty to fraud in federal court.
USA Today reported that Williamson pleaded guilty on May 14 after accepting a plea deal to multiple charges, including committing bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return, and lying to the FBI. USA Today also reported that Williamson admitted to diverting $225,000 from a dormant Xavier Becerra campaign account to Sean McCluskie, Becerra’s longtime chief of staff. Becerra has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied knowledge of the fraud, according to USA Today.
The central gap remains large. The public record does not establish the legal basis, full scope, target list, subpoena language, or chain of command behind the Gavin Newsom DOJ investigation.
Recent weeks brought the fight to Newsom’s wife and family network
Newsom’s office escalated the matter Monday evening by demanding that the Trump administration release records on the investigation. The office posted a copy of a Freedom of Information Act request on Newsom’s social media account.
“The American people deserve to know who ordered this abuse of power and how far it goes,” Newsom said.
Newsom drew a bright line around his wife.
“You can subpoena my records. You can investigate me. You can harass me,” Newsom said. “Put my name on every and any enemy’s list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta.”
The focus on Jennifer Siebel Newsom gives the allegation more political force. The Guardian reported that she has become a frequent target of the right in recent months as Newsom has emerged as an early frontrunner among Democrats for the presidential nomination. It also noted conservative criticism of her work on equal pay and gender equity, and quoted Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, describing the Newsoms as a “grifter family.”
XOOMAR analysis: Bringing a spouse into the frame changes the story’s emotional temperature. It lets Newsom argue that Trump’s pressure campaign, as he describes it, is not confined to a political rival. It reaches into family, nonprofit, and professional networks.
Trump’s own conduct gives Newsom’s accusation political traction, but not proof
Newsom’s allegation does not land in isolation. The Guardian reported that Newsom and Trump have frequently clashed, and that California has sued the administration more than 60 times in Trump’s second term, including over Trump’s move to deploy the US military to Los Angeles last summer.
Trump also called for Newsom’s arrest last summer for allegedly obstructing immigration enforcement operations in the state, according to the Guardian.
Newsom used his Monday statement to connect his case to other Trump rivals whom his administration has investigated, naming James Comey, Letitia James, and Tim Walz, among others. NBC separately reported cases involving Comey, James, and Sen. Adam Schiff, and said Trump had publicly urged Justice Department officials to go after them. All have denied wrongdoing, according to NBC.
“One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hitlist. And today, I proudly join that list,” Newsom said.
The political incentive cuts both ways. Newsom can cast himself as a direct target of Trump’s power, a posture that may help with Democratic voters if he runs in 2028. Trump’s side, if it responds beyond the current no-comment posture, can argue that Newsom is trying to discredit a legitimate inquiry before facts emerge.
That distinction matters. Trump’s public hostility toward Newsom helps explain why the allegation is combustible. It does not, by itself, prove presidential direction of a criminal investigation.
For readers following Trump’s broader political style, this episode sits alongside other XOOMAR coverage of spectacle, power, and campaign signaling, including Trump Plants UFC Cage on White House Lawn for Power Play and JD Vance Freezes 2028 Race as Trump World Reads the Signal.
The institutional bind: DOJ silence protects process but fuels suspicion
The DOJ has a structural problem here. Commenting on an active inquiry, especially one involving grand jury activity, can damage the process. Staying silent leaves Newsom’s political claim unanswered.
That is why the FOIA demand matters. Newsom is trying to move the fight from allegation to paper trail: emails, orders, subpoenas, referrals, or communications that might show whether the White House pushed the DOJ, or whether prosecutors in California initiated the work independently.
The Guardian reported that a source familiar with the matter said the investigations originated in California, not Washington, and are being run by the U.S. attorney’s office for the eastern district of California, which includes Sacramento. NBC reported the same basic location, naming Eastern District of California U.S. Attorney Eric Grant as controlling the office running the investigation.
XOOMAR analysis: That reported California origin is the strongest fact complicating Newsom’s claim. If the inquiry began with prosecutors or whistleblower material in California, Trump’s personal role becomes harder to infer without documents. If records later show White House pressure, the story changes sharply.
The next decision point is documentary, not rhetorical
The next phase of the Gavin Newsom DOJ investigation fight will turn on records and sworn process, not social media clips.
Several evidence streams now matter:
- FOIA records: Newsom has demanded documents from the Trump administration.
- Subpoena fights: Any challenge could reveal what records prosecutors sought and why.
- Witness accounts: People contacted by agents may clarify the questions asked.
- DOJ statements: Even a narrow denial or confirmation would shift the story.
- Court filings: If any matter moves into open court, the legal theory may become visible.
- Congressional requests: Democrats may seek documents or hearings if the allegation gains traction.
If the probe remains opaque, Newsom can keep presenting it as a warning about Trump using federal power against rivals, while Trump can deny wrongdoing by pointing to the absence of public proof. If documents show White House involvement, the case becomes an abuse-of-power controversy. If investigators reveal a credible basis for inquiry, Newsom’s counterattack becomes riskier.
For now, the most important fact is also the most unresolved one: Newsom has made a grave allegation about presidential control of federal law enforcement, and the public has not yet seen the records that would prove or disprove it.
Impact Analysis
- Newsom is framing the alleged DOJ probe as political retaliation tied to a possible 2028 presidential run.
- The claim raises concerns about whether federal law enforcement is being used against potential political rivals.
- The central allegation remains unproven publicly because no records have been shown confirming who directed the investigation or why.
Originally published on XOOMAR. For more news and analysis, visit XOOMAR.
