Federal investigators examining California Gov. Gavin Newsom are scrutinizing his international travel, much of which has been financed by wealthy private donors rather than taxpayers.
The US Attorney’s Office issued subpoenas in September seeking roughly six years of communications involving the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit that has covered Newsom’s travel costs with privately donated money, according to the San Francisco Standard.
Investigators reportedly requested records on the foundation’s donors and fundraising efforts, Newsom’s overseas trips and related events, as well as any funds used to pay the governor’s living or personal expenses, the Standard reported.
The inquiry also sought information from several Newsom aides, including Becca Prowda, the governor’s chief protocol officer who helps coordinate his international travel. Prowda is married to San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Federal authorities were also reportedly interested in communications involving members of the Protocol Foundation’s board, many of whom serve as close advisers and confidantes to Newsom.
Since 2019, Newsom has directed more than $7.5 million in contributions from outside organizations to the Protocol Foundation, according to state records reviewed by The California Post. About $5.1 million came from funds left over from his inaugural activities.
Several major contributors have business ties to California or operate in industries affected by decisions made by the governor. The foundation’s donors include CVS, a Blue Shield foundation and Zoox, the autonomous-vehicle company testing robotaxis in San Francisco and other California cities. Newsom also solicited contributions from the liberal dark-money organization New Venture Fund and cryptocurrency billionaire Chris Larsen.
Other prominent donors include foundations associated with philanthropists Susie Tompkins Buell and Lisa Stone Pritzker. Both women have supported Newsom’s political efforts and provided funding to nonprofits run by his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
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In addition to the Protocol Foundation investigation, federal authorities have examined Siebel Newsom’s tax filings, a source familiar with the matter previously told The Post.
Newsom has alleged that President Trump directed the US Department of Justice to investigate him and his wife as an act of political retaliation. The California governor has been a vocal critic of the administration and is weighing a potential 2028 presidential campaign.
“Governor Newsom went after the king — and as he warned in June, the tyrant is now coming after everyone around him,” Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for the governor’s office, said in a statement to The Post.
“This is what Donald Trump does to his enemies: investigate first, hunt for a crime that doesn’t exist second.”
The Post obtained Newsom’s secretive schedule after a public record battle this summer and documents show he had more than 30 briefings or meetings with Prowda regarding his jetsetting schedule and meetings or events with foreign leaders.
Newsom took trips this year to the annual world economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, as well as an international security conference in Munich. He also went to London to sign an environmental pact. Other past travel includes a weeklong delegation trip to China in 2023.
Prowda has staffed the governor at events ranging from the California Hall of Fame ceremony to meetings with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and former UK Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, according to the governor’s calendars.
Some of Newsom’s most trusted political operatives play major roles with the Protocol Foundation.
The foundation’s chair, Steve Kawa, was a former chief of staff to Newsom when he was mayor of San Francisco, and the governor recently appointed him chair of the High-Speed Rail Authority. Longtime advisor Jason Elliott was also appointed to the rail authority and serves on the Protocol Foundation’s board.
Jim DeBoo, who previously served as Newsom’s chief of staff, also serves as secretary of the Protocol Foundation, according to the latest IRS filings.
The US Attorney’s Office and Protocol Foundation did not immediately respond to The Post’s requests for comment Saturday, but officials for Newsom’s travel-linked foundation told the Standard that it could not discuss the investigation.
A spokesperson for the foundation said it “has proudly supported both Republican and Democratic administrations in fulfilling their duties representing all of California through public events and international engagements.”
The foundation doesn’t just expense the governor’s travels.
Newsom also used protocol funds to deliver his State of the State speech in an empty Dodger Stadium during the pandemic. And the nonprofit reportedly picked up the tab for burner phones Newsom sent to top tech CEOs last year.
At the end of 2024, the Protocol Foundation was burning through money after spending almost $600,000 more than it had brought in the previous two years, leaving the organization with just $7,790 in net funds, according to IRS records.
