California Governor Gavin Newsom says he has become the latest target of Donald Trump’s revenge campaign.
The Democratic firebrand claimed on X that he and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were being investigated by the Justice Department.
Newsom did not give a reason for the probe, but aides to the governor say several people associated with the couple have been contacted by federal agents in the past week.
“Today, my wife & I joined Donald Trump’s hit list. He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us. They have not found a crime—they are simply trying to find one," Newsom said.
“He isn’t coming after me because of mean tweets, but because I am considering running for President,” he added, describing Trump as “simply the most corrupt President in American history.”
“We have nothing to hide. Mr. President, come after me. I am not going anywhere. The country is watching.”
The White House referred the Daily Beast to the Justice Department, which is yet to comment.
According to the New York Times, former employees of Newsom and people affiliated with his wife’s nonprofit groups are among those questioned.
Siebel Newsom is a documentary filmmaker who also founded the nonprofit organization Representation Project, which advocates for gender equity. She also owns a film production company, Girls Club Entertainment, which is listed as a contractor for the Representation Project on the nonprofit’s tax returns.
But the Newsoms have long faced accusations from critics of “pay-to-play” politics. These allegations center on Siebel Newsom’s nonprofits and whether major donors received political favors from the Governor’s administration.
If the governor’s claims of a politically motivated investigation are true, the probe would mark a dramatic escalation in a years-long rivalry between one of the Democratic Party’s most prominent figures and a president who has repeatedly targeted political opponents.
Newsom has emerged as one of the president’s most vocal critics, trolling him and clashing with him over everything from immigration enforcement and the deployment of federal troops in California to climate policy and federal funding.
Trump, meanwhile, has frequently singled out the California governor in speeches, interviews, and social media posts, often referring to him as “Newscum.”
Newsom’s claim also lands amid mounting criticism from Democrats who argue Trump has increasingly used federal law-enforcement powers against perceived enemies.
Since returning to office, the president’s allies have pushed investigations involving critics or other officials, including former FBI director James Comey, Attorney General Letitia James, and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook.
More recently, the administration also began examining New York writer E. Jean Carroll, who mounted a successful lawsuit against Trump that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming her.
In a video accompanying his X post, Newsom claimed the DOJ investigation was a fishing expedition in which federal agents were knocking on doors of families and friends, as well as sifting through “years and years of random documents” hoping to find evidence of wrongdoing.
His office claims the latest inquiry began about the time Trump said that he planned to nominate acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, his former personal attorney, to run the Justice Department.
But in his video message, a furious Newsom said: “To Donald Trump, who I know is watching because he watches everything, I have a message for you. You can subpoena my records, you can investigate me, you can harass me. Put my name on every and any enemies list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta.”
He also used the video to tell his wife: “I love you and I’m sorry he’s doing this. You have not earned a single one of the indignities that he’s trying to inflict on you and our children.”
