SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 6 (Our California Times) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused President Donald Trump of directing a politically motivated Justice Department investigation into him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, even as reports cited sources saying at least part of the inquiry began before Trump returned to office.
In a post on X and a video statement, Newsom said the Justice Department was conducting a “fishing expedition” and putting him and his spouse on a “hit list.” He said Trump was using federal law enforcement against a political critic.
But a Justice Department source familiar with the matter said 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. The source said one inquiry involving former Newsom chief of staff Dana Williamson was opened during the Biden administration.
The source said the inquiries began in California, including Sacramento, after whistleblower complaints and local concerns, rather than at Justice Department headquarters in Washington. The exact scope of the probes remains unclear, and sources cited in the reporting did not agree on whether Washington officials were involved in opening them.
Some reports said one line of inquiry may involve Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s taxes, but the public record reviewed in the reporting did not include charging papers, docket numbers or a court assignment for the broader investigations. The reports also do not say whether Newsom himself is a formal target of any criminal case.
Williamson pleaded guilty in May in a separate corruption case that did not implicate Newsom, according to the reporting.
