California Gov. Gavin Newsom says Department of Justice is investigating him, his wife
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Monday that the Department of Justice is investigating him as well as his wife, and claimed that President Donald Trump is "coming after me because I'm considering running for president."
Newsom, a Democrat, did not specify exactly what the Department of Justice was allegedly investigating him for, but indicated his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom is among the targets.
"In recent days, federal agents have knocked on the doors of family, friends, and former employees," Newsom said in a video post on social media. "Not because they found a crime, because they're simply trying to find one."
In a call with reporters Monday afternoon, Newsom's office said it believes, based on some of the information it gleaned about what people connected to Newsom were asked, that grand jury subpoenas had been issued for records to financial institutions. The office said investigators asked about details about specific transactions that would not have been possible for them to know without subpoenaing them.
Newsom’s office said it has not seen any subpoenas and it would be illegal for banks to disclose to customers that they had received one.
Newsom said in the video that the Department of Justice was rooting through "years and years of random documents" and "demanding records" in what he described as a fishing expedition.
Newsom claimed he learned recently that Trump and the administration are also coming after his wife in order to get at him.
"Just in the last week, I’ve learned his campaign has reached my own home: to get me, he’s coming after my wife, Jen. A public servant. A woman who has dedicated her life to supporting women and girls,” Newsom said Monday.
His office also said it is pursuing a public records request for documents and communications from the Department of Justice from the start of Trump’s second term until now that reference him and his wife.
The Trump administration has initiated multiple criminal investigations into opponents of the president, including former FBI Director James Comey and New York State Attorney General Letitia James -- both of whom had their charges dismissed by federal judges. The DOJ brought new charges against Comey earlier this year for threatening to harm the president.
Comey told ABC News in May he could not discuss details of the case against him, but said: "I am not just not guilty, I am innocent, and I have amazing lawyers who are also my friends, so we will do our absolute best in a courtroom. And I feel good about it."
Newsom’s office declined to go into specifics about what is being investigated, saying reporters would have to ask the Department of Justice. It also said it isn’t in a position to speculate about what the DOJ is focusing on, although it said it can tell that the proceedings are not focused narrowly on personal finances.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment when reached by ABC News about the investigation into Newsom and his wife.
The governor’s office said it does not know of any target letters sent by prosecutors to Newsom or his wife, which would indicate charges are imminent. The office is also not aware of any direct engagement with Siebel Newsom, but said it believes subpoenas were issued to financial institutions that hold accounts for at least some of the entities she has worked with.
Sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News that in 2025, investigators in California began examining Newsom's wife's taxes.
“You can subpoena my records, you can investigate me, you could harass me, put my name on every and any enemies list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta,” Newsom said.
Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker, leads two organizations focused on gender equity -- the nonprofit Representation Project and the California Partners Project, an organization to boost female representation in leadership.
The investigation is believed to be run out of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California, where Newsom's former chief of staff Dana Williamson pleaded guilty in May to bank fraud and other charges. That case did not involve any allegations of criminality or wrongdoing by Newsom or his wife.
Though Newsom has not officially announced a 2028 presidential run, he confirmed months ago that he is open to a bid and is widely considered a frontrunner in the race. He has toured the national media circuit in recent years, hosts an eye-catching podcast and often engages in social media fights with Trump.
Trump has publicly gone after Newsom before. In June 2025, he called for Newsom’s arrest as protesters clashed with the Trump-deployed National Guard in Los Angeles. At the time, border czar Tom Homan refused to rule out arresting state and local officials if they obstructed immigration operations. Newsom told Homan to come and arrest him, and Trump encouraged Homan to do so.
"Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing," Trump said at the time. Trump later said that the crime Newsom committed was "running for governor because he's done such a bad job."
Newsom claimed in the Monday video that he was just the latest person to challenge the president and end up on his "hit list." He also tied the alleged investigation to Trump’s recent nomination of Todd Blanche, his former personal lawyer, as attorney general. Blanche currently serves in an acting capacity.
