By Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday delivered a blistering rebuke of President Donald Trump, accusing the president of using the U.S. Department of Justice as a political weapon and alleging that federal investigators have expanded their scrutiny beyond him to target his wife, family friends and former employees in what he described as a politically motivated campaign of intimidation.
The remarks marked one of Newsom’s strongest public confrontations yet with the Trump administration and come as the California governor is widely viewed as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2028.
In a video statement released by his office, Newsom alleged that federal agents had recently contacted people close to him despite, he said, the absence of any evidence of wrongdoing.
“In recent days, federal agents have knocked on the doors of family friends and former employees,” Newsom said. “Not because they found a crime. Because they are simply trying to find one.”
“They are demanding records. They are abusing the grand jury process. Digging through years and years of random documents,” he added.
Newsom framed the alleged investigation as retaliation for his outspoken criticism of Trump and his possible presidential aspirations.
“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean Tweets,” Newsom said. “He’s coming after me because I am considering running for President.”
“Because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out — over and over again — for his lies and deceit,” he said.
The governor went further, accusing Trump of corrupting the institutions of government for personal and political gain.
“Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt President in American history,” Newsom said. “He has turned the levers of government into his own personal power ministries to reward cronies and to try to jail his opponents.”
“His personal attorney now runs the Department of Justice, which has repeatedly gone after his political enemies,” he added. “Ask Jerome Powell. He sent them after James Comey. Tish James. Adam Schiff. He sent them after Tim Walz. And a woman that a jury found Donald Trump had sexually abused.”
“One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list,” Newsom said. “And today, I proudly join that list.”
According to reporting by The New York Times, the full scope of the federal inquiries remains unclear. The newspaper reported that several people associated with Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom had been contacted by federal agents in recent days.
Former employees of the governor and individuals affiliated with Siebel Newsom’s nonprofit organizations were among those questioned by investigators, according to the governor’s office.
The Times also reported that a person familiar with the matter confirmed that multiple federal investigations involving the governor were underway, including one examining Siebel Newsom’s finances. However, the individual disputed Newsom’s assertion that the investigations were politically motivated, saying they originated with federal law enforcement officials in California rather than officials in Washington.
That distinction has done little to alter Newsom’s public assessment of the situation.
“After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me,” Newsom said. “And 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 of his wife. “Someone who has done nothing wrong, other than having the temerity to advocate for what she believes in.”
“If they can’t intimidate me, they’ll go after the mother of our children.”
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and advocate for gender equity initiatives, also condemned the reported investigation.
“This is not presidential behavior, and the Governor and I will continue to speak truth to power because the American people deserve so much more,” she said in a statement quoted by The New York Times.
The Times noted that Siebel Newsom founded the Representation Project, a nonprofit organization focused on gender equity, and co-founded the California Partners Project, which promotes women’s leadership and addresses issues including pay equity and online safety for children.
The newspaper also reported that critics have for years questioned whether organizations associated with Siebel Newsom presented potential conflicts of interest because some donors had business before the state. However, it added that “no public evidence of wrongdoing by any of the entities tied to Ms. Siebel Newsom has surfaced.”
Newsom insisted that neither he nor his family had anything to hide.
“Donald Trump picked the wrong target. We have nothing to hide,” he said. “His political operatives can take every record and read every page.”
“But they’ll be looking in the wrong place,” he continued. “Because if they really want to find corruption, look no further than 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.”
The governor then pivoted from defending himself to launching a broader indictment of Trump’s conduct in office.
“Donald Trump is selling the presidency,” Newsom said. “He is running the largest cash heist in American political history — trading foreign tariff relief for approval of his golf courses.”
“He is doing it openly. He is doing it on camera,” Newsom said. “He did it last night on the White House lawn.”
Newsom alleged that Trump had profited through cryptocurrency ventures and foreign relationships.
“He is doing it through cryptocurrencies,” Newsom said. “He is doing it through the receipt of a $400 million private jet from a foreign government that he plans to keep when he leaves office.”
“Through his sons’ ventures in countries where his own administration is simultaneously making policy,” Newsom added. “His personal fortune has skyrocketed by $4 billion since making his return to office.”
“This is the behavior of a regime, not a republic,” he said. “The White House has become a marketplace.”
“A marketplace for sneakers, coins, and watches … cologne, guitars, bibles, and phones,” Newsom continued. “Influence for sale. Access for sale.”
“And today, my family and I can personally confirm that justice is for sale.”
Federal officials have declined to publicly address the matter. According to The New York Times, an FBI spokesperson and a Justice Department spokesperson both declined comment, while a White House official referred questions to the Justice Department.
The newspaper also reported that Newsom’s office has filed a public records request seeking documents related to the investigations and that Newsom later issued a fundraising appeal seeking contributions to help pay legal expenses associated with what he characterized as a “political witch hunt.”
Addressing Trump directly near the conclusion of his remarks, Newsom challenged the president to continue pursuing him while sparing his family.
“To Donald Trump, who I know is watching because he watches everything, I have a message for you,” Newsom said. “You can subpoena my records. You can investigate me. You can harass me.”
“Put my name on every and any enemy’s list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta.”
The governor then turned to address his wife directly.
“I’d like to say something to my wife: These times are not normal. They are not ordinary. I love you,” Newsom said. “I am sorry he is doing this.”
“You have not earned a single one of the indignities that he is trying to inflict on you and our children,” he said.
Newsom concluded by casting the dispute as larger than himself and warning that Americans should remain attentive to what he views as an erosion of democratic norms.
“And to Donald Trump, this country does not belong to you. It does not belong to your cronies,” he said. “We are going to fight your lawlessness — and we are going to continue to remind people of this country of your corruption.”
“That same corruption our founders warned us against,” Newsom added. “As we move to celebrate our 250th anniversary, I’m going to keep reminding Americans of what they warned would happen if a man with no character ever held the Office of the President.”
“So let me say it again: Mr. President, come after me. I am not going anywhere,” Newsom said. “And the country is watching.”
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