Overview
- Gov. Gavin Newsom publicly accused President Donald Trump on Monday, June 15, 2026, of ordering the Department of Justice to investigate him and his wife and said federal agents have recently contacted family, friends and former employees.
- Newsom’s office and multiple reporters say several federal probes are active or developing and include a tax-related review of Jennifer Siebel Newsom and inquiries tied to former chief of staff Dana Williamson, who pleaded guilty last month to counts from a 2025 indictment.
- Reporting cites investigators using grand jury subpoenas, witness interviews and record demands that examined years of personal and professional documents, and Newsom’s team says the work has broadened to focus on his family network.
- The Justice Department declined to comment and the White House referred questions to DOJ, while anonymous sources and several outlets say some parts of the investigations began in 2025 after California whistleblower complaints and were opened by U.S. Attorney’s offices in California rather than by directives from Washington.
- The dispute over origins and motive has political stakes for the 2028 cycle and for perceptions of DOJ independence, and Newsom’s office has filed a Freedom of Information Act request and vowed to fight what it calls politically motivated harassment.