FBI Investigates Governor Newsom's Activities 0 13

The U.S. Department of Justice has initiated an investigation against California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom. The governor himself announced this in a video message on the social network X (formerly Twitter). According to him, the case is fabricated and was opened at the direction of U.S. President Donald Trump. Newsom claims that the administration is "just trying to find" traces of a crime that, in fact, do not exist.

According to Newsom, federal agents "knocked on the doors of family friends and former employees." The governor emphasized that investigators demanded to provide records and "random documents." The head of California stated that Trump is pursuing him not "because of mean tweets," but because the governor is considering running for president.

Newsom cannot run for governor again due to term limits, and he is seen as one of the main contenders from the Democratic Party for the 2028 presidential election. Last year, he surged to the top of voter polls and stated that he would seriously consider a presidential campaign after the U.S. midterm elections. It is worth noting that these elections will take place in November of this year.

Newsom is referred to as the "Anti-Trump" for his regular attacks on the current head of the White House on social media. Recently, he called American attacks on Iran a sign of weakness and an attempt to distract attention from the president's low ratings. In his address, the Democrat stated Trump was corrupt.

"He hates that I constantly expose him. He is simply the most corrupt president in American history. We have nothing to hide. Mr. President, come for me. I’m not going anywhere," Newsom said.

The governor also highlighted the growth of the Republican's personal fortune by $4 billion since his return to the presidency. According to Newsom, the White House has "turned into a marketplace" where various goods are traded: from sneakers and colognes to Bibles and phones.

As reported by RTVI.US, the Republican earned $2.5 million from the sale of Trump sneakers and perfume, $2.8 million from watches of the same name, and over $1 million from guitars labeled "45" (referring to his ordinal number among American presidents). Additionally, the memecoin $TRUMP brought the head of the White House over $350 million in early 2025.

Moreover, in 2026, a souvenir shop with Trump merchandise sold items for Valentine’s Day, including a garden chair made from recycled plastic for $1,200.

Trump has previously claimed that during his presidency he is not engaged in business and that any projects under his name are carried out by his son Eric. The latter, along with his brother Donald Trump Jr., recently released the T1 phone, the release of which has been postponed multiple times, technical specifications have changed, and users encountered data leaks.

In his address, Newsom also stated that his wife is being harassed by federal agents, while he did not comment on the nature of their inquiries. According to the governor's aides, some questions from law enforcement concerned specific financial transactions, "which could only be asked if the investigators had accounting documents" or "credit card statements."

At the same time, representatives of the California governor added that they are unaware of any court summons for the governor or his wife. However, sources from Fox News reported that the investigation has been ongoing since 2025 and is based on whistleblower complaints regarding Newsom's and his wife's personal finances. The case is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento.

The governor's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, is a documentary filmmaker and the head of the nonprofit organization The Representation Project, which aims to promote feminist ideas, according to information on its website. Fox News reports that the organization has faced accusations of "bribery" — critics claim that corporations with business interests in California donate money to The Representation Project to gain influence over Newsom.

Another source in an interview with The New York Times (NYT) refuted the governor's claim that the investigation is politically motivated and stated that it was initiated by federal law enforcement in California, not Washington. This information was also confirmed by sources from The Washington Post (WP).

According to them, one of the investigations concerns the examination of Newsom's wife for potential tax crimes related to her nonprofit organization, while another inquiry involves the case of Newsom's former chief of staff, who claimed his innocence in May. He was charged with corruption crimes, including conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

"I was not told how many investigations are ongoing, only that there are several. I know that one of them is related to his wife and her taxes, and another is with his former chief of staff and possibly current employees," shared a source with Axios.

According to Newsom's aides in an interview with The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), last week FBI and IRS agents began questioning more than a dozen people from the governor's circle. They asked questions on a variety of topics, ranging from events five to six years ago, including about the governor's family and his wife's business interests.