OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
4:17 PM – Monday, June 15, 2026

California Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom released a video statement claiming that President Donald Trump has directed the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to launch a politically motivated investigation into him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

In an escalation of the ongoing feud between the Golden State and the Trump administration, Newsom (D-Calif.) asserted that he has been added to the DOJ’s political “hit list.” The governor argued that the DOJ probe is not the result of any wrongdoing, but rather, a targeted effort to damage his political standing as he considers a run for the presidency.

According to Newsom, federal agents have been knocking on the doors of family friends, business associates, donors and former employees to demand records and conduct interviews. Newsom’s office accused federal prosecutors of “abusing the grand jury process” and engaging in an adversarial “fishing expedition” by digging through years of random documents.

While neither the governor nor his wife have personally received subpoenas yet, Newsom’s team noted that federal investigation efforts intensified significantly following the appointment of acting AG Todd Blanche as the head of the DOJ.

Sources familiar with the matter also say that federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, based in Sacramento, are handling multiple probes that actually originated locally and have been underway for roughly a year. One of the focal points of the investigation centers on Newsom’s wife’s tax affairs and organizations tied to her.

Another branch of the probe is reportedly linked to the governor’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who pleaded guilty in a federal public corruption case involving the diversion of campaign funds — a case Newsom’s aides claim predated her service to the governor.

In his public remarks, Newsom labeled the investigation as a weaponization of federal law enforcement. Newsom also stated he was proud to stand against the Trump administration, while warning federal investigators to leave his family out of what he termed a personal vendetta.

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