Newsom says Trump DOJ ordered his investigation

Newsom says – California Gov. Gavin Newsom said President Donald Trump directed the Justice Department to investigate him, saying investigators have sought records and even contacted people near his home. Newsom provided no evidence for that claim, while other reporting des

For the second time in as many years, Gavin Newsom is watching federal law enforcement close in around his orbit—and this time he says it started with a simple decision: he may run for president.

On Monday. the California governor posted a video on X saying President Donald Trump has ordered the Justice Department to investigate him. Newsom framed it as retaliation for political opposition, not misconduct. He said Trump is targeting him and his family because Newsom is considering a presidential bid.

Newsom’s argument is personal and pointed. He said Trump is “coming after me because I’m considering running for president because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.” In the same video. Newsom said Trump has “turned the levers of government into his own personal power ministries to reward cronies and to try to jail his opponents.”.

Newsom told viewers that he has “done nothing wrong except oppose Trump.” He added that federal investigators have not found a crime, saying the department is “simply trying to find one.”

He also compared his situation to other figures he said have faced Justice Department scrutiny during Trump’s second term. In his video. Newsom named former FBI Director James Comey; New York Attorney General Letitia James; former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell; Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

One detail stood out for its immediacy. Newsom said federal agents have “knocked on the doors of family friends and former employees.” He described it not as routine inquiry but as an effort to apply pressure beyond his own circle.

He went further in talking about his wife. Newsom highlighted that the Justice Department is investigating his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, describing her as a documentary filmmaker. Newsom said investigators have reached his home and that Trump’s campaign has “reached my own home to get me.” He added: “He’s coming after my wife … If they can’t intimidate me. they’ll go after the mother of our children.”.

Newsom also accused the Justice Department of overreach in how it is seeking information. He said the department has demanded records and that it is “abusing the grand jury process. digging through years and years of random documents.” In his view. those records won’t produce the kind of wrongdoing the administration is implying. “His political operatives can take every record and read every page. but they’ll be looking in the wrong place. ” he said. before directing attention to what he portrayed as the real source of corruption: “1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”.

Newsom did not present evidence showing Trump directly ordered an investigation into his activities. At the same time, reporting has described the picture differently. CNN reported that a source familiar with the case said there is no direct investigation into Newsom. That reporting said that the Eastern District of California is leading investigations into people connected to him. including his wife. over tax-related crimes. It further said the Justice Department’s political leadership was not involved in the decision. and that the probes were prompted by a whistleblower report from last year.

Newsom’s comments come as he is testing his position inside the Democratic field. In recent polling, Newsom placed second among Democrats behind former Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s presidential nominee in 2024. Harris said earlier this month that she is “thinking about” running again.

The question hanging over Newsom’s claim is whether this is pressure driven by politics or a legal process unfolding on its own timeline. The fact pattern he cites—investigators contacting people close to his life and demanding long stretches of documents—cuts toward his interpretation. But the reporting that frames the matter as centered on people connected to him. with the Justice Department political leadership not involved. cuts toward a narrower view of what’s happening.

Newsom’s video also echoes a refrain from other Democrats who say they have been caught in legal turmoil during Trump’s second administration. Several episodes cited in his remarks have played out publicly.

John Bolton. Trump’s former national security adviser. has reportedly reached an agreement with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to mishandling classified materials. and is not expected to serve prison time. Comey—fired by Trump as FBI director during his first term—has been indicted twice since last year. A judge dismissed the first case. involving allegedly lying to Congress. while the second indictment related to a social media post he made.

A judge also threw out a mortgage fraud case against Letitia James.

Powell. the former Fed chair. told the public in January that he was the target of an investigation over renovations at the central bank’s headquarters. Newsom referenced Powell in his own video, saying Trump is turning the “levers of government” toward political ends. Powell’s case has also been tied to the broader fight between Trump and the Fed over rates. The record laid out in the reporting says Trump repeatedly pressured the Fed to lower interest rates despite persistent increases in the inflation rate and demanded that Powell resign. The Justice Department said in April that it was no longer investigating Powell.

The reporting also says both Comey’s second indictment and the case against James collapsed after a judge determined the woman who indicted them had been unlawfully appointed by Trump.

For Powell, the timeline moved more deliberately. The Justice Department launched an investigation. and Powell confirmed its existence in a January video posted on the Federal Reserve’s website. The investigation followed months of Trump publicly pressuring the Fed to lower interest rates and demanding Powell resign. The Justice Department said in April it had concluded its investigation, centered around renovations to the Federal Reserve’s building.

Taken together. the episodes cited in Newsom’s video show how quickly legal actions can become political flashpoints during this phase of the Trump administration. Whether Monday’s claim about an investigation into Newsom will be proven to match that broader pattern—or whether the facts will remain closer to the narrower description from reporting—could define the next chapter for a governor now trying to decide whether he wants to take on the White House.

For now. Newsom’s message is clear: he says the federal government is closing in because of his ambitions. and he says it has reached beyond him—toward his family. his friends. and people who once worked for him. In the high-stakes world of presidential politics. where timing is often destiny. the dispute is no longer just about what the Justice Department is doing. It’s about who believes it’s doing it—and why.

Gavin Newsom Trump DOJ Justice Department investigation Jennifer Siebel Newsom Eastern District of California tax-related crimes 2028 presidential bid Kamala Harris 2024 nominee James Comey Letitia James Jerome Powell Adam Schiff Tim Walz grand jury records