California Governor Gavin Newsom says he has become the newest name on President Donald Trump’s political “hit list.”
In a post on social media, the 58-year-old governor said that he and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, 51, are now facing a Department of Justice investigation.
“Today, my wife & I joined Donald Trump’s hit list,” the Democrat wrote. “He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us. They have not found a crime — they are simply trying to find one.”
Newsom added: “He isn’t coming after me because of mean tweets, but because I am considering running for president.”
He also shared a video lasting nearly five minutes, in which he argued that the scrutiny stems from his potential interest in a 2028 presidential bid.
While Newsom insisted in the video that he has nothing to conceal, he did not specify what exactly the Justice Department is investigating.
The White House referred the Daily Mail’s request for comment to the DOJ. The Justice Department has been contacted for comment.
‘He’s coming after my wife, Jen, a public servant, a woman who’s dedicated her life to supporting women and girls, someone who has done nothing wrong other than having the temerity to advocate for what she believes in,’ the Governor says in the clip. ‘If they can’t intimidate me, they’ll go after the mother of our children.’
California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, are the subjects of a Department of Justice investigation, the Democrat has announced
Newsom claimed in the video that he is being targeted by Trump because he is considering running for president in 2028. Above, Trump at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Monday
The Newsom family poses for pictures at a red carpet event in March
The couple share four children together – Montana, 16, Hunter, 14, Brooklyn, 12, and Dutch, 10.
Newsom claims that in recent days federal agents have knocked on the doors of his family, friends and former employers.
‘They’re demanding records, they’re abusing the grand jury process, digging through years and years of random documents,’ Newsom says in the video address.
‘Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets, he’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president,’ Newsom adds.
In a defiant tone, the Democrat calls on Trump to subpoena his documents and focus on him instead of his wife. Newsom called the action a ‘personal vendetta.’
Though it is unclear what the investigation pertains to, Trump and his administration have long spoken about fraud in California.
There are multiple federal investigations underway regarding the Governor, a person with knowledge of the probe told the New York Times.
One of those is probing Jennifer Newsom’s finances, the source added, noting that the investigations were initiated by California-based federal law enforcement officials.
The Times reports that government witnesses in California are offering federal investigators information on the case, and the source noted the probe was not launched by Washington-based officials.
In a video address posted on social media, Newsom apologizes to his wife for the investigation. ‘I love you, and I’m sorry he’s doing this,’ the Governor says
There are multiple federal investigations underway regarding the Governor, a person with knowledge of the probe told the New York Times. One of those is probing Jennifer Newsom’s finances, the source added, noting that the investigations were initiated by California-based federal law enforcement officials
Jennifer Newsom leads multiple nonprofits in California, including the Representation Project and the California Partners Project
Jennifer Newsom leads multiple nonprofits in California, including the Representation Project and the California Partners Project.
The Representation Project claims to fight ‘sexism with social impact films,’ according to the group’s site.
The California Partners Project ‘champions gender equity across the state and ensures our state’s media and technology industries are a force for good in the lives of all children,’ according to the website.
Ex-employees of the California First Lady’s nonprofits are among those who have been questioned by federal agents, according to the California Governor’s office.
Directing a message to his wife Jennifer, Newsom said in the video: ‘You have not earned a single one of the indignities that he’s trying to inflict on you and our children.’
‘I love you, and I’m sorry he’s doing this,’ Newsom tells his wife.
In an appeal to Trump, Newsom remarked: ‘This country does not belong to you, does not belong to your cronies, and we’re going to fight your lawlessness, and we’re going to continue to remind the people of this country of your corruption.’
‘Mr. President, come after me. I’m not going anywhere, and the country is watching,’ Newsom says in closing.