Newsom Accuses Trump DOJ of Targeting Him and Wife

California Gov. Gavin Newsom stated on June 16, 2026, that federal agents have contacted associates of himself and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, including family friends and former employees, and accused the Justice Department of pursuing the contacts to manufacture a case against him for political reasons.

Newsom’s office filed a public records request seeking all DOJ documents mentioning him or his wife since the start of President Trump’s second term. The governor said agents are “trying to find” a crime rather than responding to evidence of one. No formal investigation into Newsom himself has been opened, according to sources cited by multiple outlets.

Separate inquiries involve people in Newsom’s circle. One centers on Siebel Newsom’s role at the California Partners Project, a gender-equity group that received more than $5 million in behested payments since 2020; the probe began last year in California’s eastern district after a whistleblower tip and did not originate in Washington. A second line of inquiry concerns former chief of staff Dana Williamson, who was indicted last year on charges of stealing $225,000 from a dormant campaign account, pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy, false tax returns, and false statements, and whose case has expanded to other former staff. An earlier federal review of a $54 million state settlement with Activision Blizzard has also drawn additional DOJ questions.

The IRS has joined the FBI in aspects of the inquiries. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to comment. Newsom described himself as the latest Trump critic placed on a “hit list,” while Trump has previously called for Newsom’s arrest over immigration disputes.