SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 6 (Our California Times) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom accused President Donald Trump on Monday of directing a politically motivated Justice Department investigation into him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, calling it a “fishing expedition” and a “hit list.”
But reports citing people familiar with the matter said at least one federal inquiry connected to Newsom’s orbit began during the Biden administration, before Trump returned to office. One Justice Department source familiar with the investigations said there have been at least two criminal probes in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California for about a year.
That source said one of the inquiries involving former Newsom chief of staff Dana Williamson was opened during the Biden administration. Williamson later pleaded guilty in May in a corruption case that did not implicate the governor.
Other reporting said the investigations originated in California, including Sacramento, rather than at Justice Department headquarters in Washington. One source said they stemmed from whistleblower complaints and local reports, while another account said Washington leadership was involved in the decision to open them.
The reporting did not identify a charging document, docket number or legal theory for any case involving Newsom himself, and it was not clear from the accounts whether he is a formal target of a criminal investigation.
