California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly accused President Donald Trump on Monday of ordering the Justice Department to conduct politically motivated investigations into him and those close to him, including his wife, as he weighs a run for the presidency in 2028. In a video posted to X, Newsom said federal agents had in recent days knocked on the doors of family members, friends and former employees, demanding records and searching through old documents. "Not because they found a crime," Newsom said, "because they're simply trying to find one."

A source familiar with the matter confirmed that multiple federal investigations into people in Newsom's orbit have been underway for roughly a year, originating from whistleblower complaints in California — not from political leadership in Washington, D.C. Federal prosecutors based in Sacramento, California's state capital, are handling the probes. One investigation concerns the taxes of Newsom's wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and reportedly involves the California Partners Project, a nonprofit she co-founded that promotes gender equality and which has received donations from entities that do business with the state. A separate investigation relates to a former Newsom chief of staff. The White House and the Justice Department both declined to comment.

Newsom, a Democrat who has spent much of Trump's second term positioning himself as a high-profile national opponent of the president, was direct about his interpretation of the investigations. "Donald Trump isn't just coming after me because of my mean tweets," he said. "He's coming after me because I'm considering running for president." He also addressed Trump personally, saying: "You can subpoena my records, you can investigate me, you can harass me — but leave my wife and my family out of your personal vendetta."

The allegations fit a pattern that critics have highlighted throughout Trump's second term. The Justice Department has opened investigations or brought prosecutions against a series of prominent Trump critics, including former FBI Director James Comey, New York Attorney General Letitia James, former CIA Director John Brennan and former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. A Reuters analysis published in late 2025 found that at least 470 individuals, organisations and institutions had been subjected to some form of government retaliation since Trump returned to office.

Newsom's claims carry significant political weight. As his current gubernatorial term draws to a close, the governor has steadily raised his national profile — visiting early presidential primary states and openly acknowledging he would be "lying" if he denied considering a White House bid. The conflict between Newsom and Trump has played out across multiple fronts, including disputes over climate policy, wildfire recovery funding and immigration enforcement. Last year, Newsom successfully championed a California redistricting measure designed to deliver Democrats additional seats in the House of Representatives, a direct counter to a Trump-backed Republican effort in Texas. Whether the investigations ultimately amount to legal jeopardy or serve primarily as political theatre, they are likely to keep Newsom at the centre of the national conversation ahead of 2028.