Calif. Gov. Newsom blames FBI probe into wife's nonprofit on Trump
California Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed Monday that President Donald Trump has directed the Justice Department to investigate him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, as part of a political vendetta aimed at undermining any potential future White House bid.
"After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me," Newsom said in a video statement. "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."
Newsom added: "Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets. 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. Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt president in American history."
"One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list. And today, I proudly join that list," he claimed.
According to CNN, Newsom is not currently under investigation. The FBI probe launched last year, however, reportedly includes Newsom's wife, a documentary filmmaker who runs The Representation Project, a nonprofit focused on advancing feminism through media. A film production company called Girls Club Entertainment owned by Siebel Newsom is also listed as a contractor on The Representation Project’s tax returns.
Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News that the investigation has been ongoing since 2025, stemming from whistleblower complaints related to Newsom and his wife's personal finances. The probe is being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento, with grand jury subpoenas issued, though details on recipients were not specified. Critics have previously leveled "pay-for-play" allegations against Jennifer Siebel Newsom's nonprofit, claiming corporations with California business interests donated to gain influence with the governor.
CNN’s Paula Reid pushed back on Newsom’s characterization of the investigation during a segment on CNN News Central, citing sources familiar with the matter.
"After the governor made this announcement, we took a few minutes to call our sources, figure out exactly what’s going on here," Reid said. "He says there in that video that the Department of Justice is investigating him. He claims that President Trump is targeting him as a political enemy. ... But in speaking with our sources, we are told by a source familiar that there is, quote: ‘Not an investigation directly into Newsom.’"
Reid added that there are several investigations into people associated with Newsom, run out of a U.S. Attorney’s office in California, including one into his wife for potential tax-related crimes. She noted that Newsom’s former chief of staff had pleaded guilty in a separate, widely reported campaign finance case, and that the current probes originated from a 2025 whistleblower report rather than direct involvement by political appointees in Washington.
"We have two different narratives," Reid concluded. "One coming from sources here in Washington saying there is no investigation directly into Newsom, then the governor releasing this video insisting that he is being targeted by the president. ... But as we know, the Trump Justice Department has pursued many of President Trump’s political adversaries, so there is certainly a concern around the potential weaponization of the Justice Department."
Trump and Newsom have clashed repeatedly in recent years over issues including crime, homelessness, environmental policy and illegal immigration. In November, Trump nationalized the California National Guard amid anti-immigration enforcement protests in Los Angeles — leading Newsom to sue for control of the forces — just months after suggesting Newsom should be arrested for his handling of anti-immigration protests.
