California governor Gavin Newsom says Trump’s DoJ is investigating him and his wife

California governor Gavin Newsom says Trump’s DoJ is investigating him and his wifeSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxMultiple federal investigations related to California Governor Gavin Newsom were reportedly underway, including one looking at his wife's finances. PHOTO: REUTERSLaurel Rosenhall, Devlin Barrett and Maggie HabermanPublished Jun 16, 2026, 04:02 AMUpdated Jun 16, 2026, 04:02 AMNEW YORK - US federal agents have questioned friends and associates of Governor Gavin Newsom of California and his wife, Newsom said June 15 in a video in which he accused President Donald Trump of using the Justice Department to punish a political enemy.The full scope of any investigation remains unclear.

But Newsom’s aides say part of the federal investigation appears to focus on his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.Former employees of the governor and people affiliated with his wife’s nonprofit groups are among those who have been questioned by agents, according to the governor’s office.A person familiar with the matter confirmed that multiple federal investigations were underway related to the governor, including one looking at his wife’s finances.

But the person disputed Newsom’s assertion that the investigations were politically motivated and said they had been initiated by federal law enforcement officials in California, not launched by officials in Washington.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss it publicly.Newsom, a Democrat, described the investigation as a fishing expedition in which federal agents had started sifting through “years and years of random documents” and knocking on the doors of family friends and associates of the Newsoms to try to find evidence of an unspecified crime.

“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said in the video. “He’s coming after me because I am considering running for president.” He added, “To get me, he’s coming after my wife.”

Several people associated with the Newsoms have been contacted by federal agents in the past week, according to the governor’s office. Newsom’s aides believe the agents have also subpoenaed banking records but said they had seen no written evidence of that.An FBI spokesperson and a Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.

A White House official referred all questions to the Justice Department.Siebel Newsom, who calls herself California’s first partner, is a documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on the social impacts of sexism. She founded a nonprofit organisation called the Representation Project that advocates for gender equity, in part by developing educational materials based on her documentaries.

Siebel Newsom also owns a film-production company called Girls Club Entertainment. It is listed as a contractor of the Representation Project on the nonprofit’s tax returns.Tax records show that the Representation Project makes annual payments to Girls Club Entertainment.

In 2024, the nonprofit paid Girls Club Entertainment US$161,250 (S$206,871) for film production work.Siebel Newsom is also a co-founder of the California Partners Project, a nonprofit that works to get more women onto corporate boards, address the gender pay gap and make technology safer for children. Some of the donors that support the California Partners Project are groups with business before the state government.

For years, critics have raised the possibility of self-dealing, but no public evidence of wrongdoing by any of the entities tied to Siebel Newsom has surfaced, and it remains unclear what precise issues and actions investigators have been asking questions about.Newsom has reported soliciting US$4.3 million in donations to the California Partners Project since 2020, according to disclosures filed with the state’s ethics agency.

That includes US$1.8 million from a Native American tribe that has an agreement with the state to operate a casino in Sonoma County. In California, public officials must disclose donations to charities that are made at the official’s request.

Another nonprofit group with ties to Newsom is called the California Protocol Foundation. Its board includes some of Newsom’s top advisers during his time as governor and previously as the mayor of San Francisco. The foundation pays for initiatives that the governor says he does not want state taxpayers to cover, including his travel overseas for conferences and other meetings.

Newsom’s office said the investigation is a fresh attempt to smear him after the federal prosecution of his former chief of staff revealed no misconduct by the governor. The former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, pleaded guilty in May to three felonies in a corruption case.One of the crimes Williamson pleaded guilty to was lying to the FBI about information she had access to while working in Newsom’s office.

In her plea agreement, Williamson said she gave her former business partner confidential information about state litigation th