Overview
- Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly announced on Monday that the Department of Justice has opened investigations involving him and his wife and accused President Trump of directing the probe.
- Multiple sources say U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecutors in the Eastern District of California are handling several related inquiries, including one that examines Siebel Newsom’s taxes and financial flows between her nonprofit and her for‑profit production company.
- Tax and nonprofit filings reported by several outlets show The Representation Project paid roughly $1.5 million to Siebel Newsom’s for‑profit firm from 2015 through the first quarter of 2025 and that she received regular compensation from the nonprofit.
- Newsom’s office says federal agents have visited family, friends and former employees and that grand‑jury subpoenas for financial records have been sought, while DOJ and White House officials have declined detailed public comment.
- The case raises ethics questions about so‑called behested donations, which are solicited gifts that are legal if reported, and has prompted Newsom to prepare previously unreleased tax returns as allies call the probes political and critics point to transparency concerns.