(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) California Gov. Gavin Newsom spent much of his Monday announcement making unsubstantiated claims about criminal investigations involving his wife. Left out of the fiery remarks, however, was one notable detail: one of the probes may have started during the Biden administration.
Newsom revealed the alleged investigation in a nearly five-minute video posted on social media and on a taxpayer-funded state government website. He specifically claimed that the DOJ is looking into First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
A source inside the DOJ told reporters multiple active investigations are related to Newsom’s administration and his aides. None of them directly target the governor himself.
One of the probes pertains to Siebel Newsom’s tax matters and was launched in 2025, according to the Daily Wire. This probe was triggered by whistleblower testimony and people in Sacramento, according to CalMatters.
NEW: @realDailyWire has learned that there are multiple DOJ investigations going on related to Gavin Newsom, though none of them are directly into Newsom himself. One investigation, which began in 2025, is related to his wife and her taxes, a source familiar shared. A separate…
— Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) June 15, 2026
A separate investigation involves Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who pleaded guilty in May to a series of fraud-related charges.
According to her guilty plea, Williamson was part of a scheme to steal $225,000 from former Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s dormant campaign account.
Becerra left the funds in the account when he departed his state office to become Biden’s HHS secretary.
The investigations reportedly stem from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.
Siebel Newsom leads the California Partners Project and the Representation Project, both nonprofit organizations. Details of the investigations and whether they are tied to these nonprofits remain unclear. In his video announcement, Newsom characterized them as a fishing expedition targeting his family and close associates.
Newsom also claimed that President Donald Trump ordered the investigations, but he offered no evidence to support that allegation.
Trump did say that he would have arrested Newsom on June 9, 2025, but he made these comments in response to the state government’s weak response to the anti-ICE riots of the time.
Trump did say on June 9, 2025, that he would arrest Newsom, though the comments came in response to the governor’s handling of anti-ICE riots in California.
“I would do it if I were Tom [Homan]. I think it’s great,” Trump said. “Look, I like Gavin Newsom. He’s a nice guy. But he’s grossly incompetent.”
Unlike his response this week, Newsom at the time fired back: “Come and get me, tough guy.”
Newsom’s communications director Izzy Gardon did not respond to Headline USA’s request for comment before deadline.
