(AFP) – Federal investigations into California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom stem from whistleblower complaints and were not launched by the Justice Department in Washington, a source familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
Newsom, a likely Democratic White House contender in 2028, accused Republican President Donald Trump on Monday of launching a criminal investigation into him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, as a “personal vendetta.”
The source familiar with the investigations told AFP that the probes were not initiated by “main Justice” but were begun about a year ago by the Sacramento-based US attorney for the Eastern District of California and were triggered by information from whistleblowers. The source, who requested anonymity, said the investigations were focused on “tax activity” involving Newsom’s wife, a documentary filmmaker, and activities related to his former chief of staff and possibly current aides.
Dana Williamson, a former Newsom chief of staff, pleaded guilty in May to bank and wire fraud and other felony charges stemming from a position she held prior to working for the governor. The source was not in a position to confirm whether Williamson’s case had any links with the current investigations into the California governor.
Newsom, in a video on Monday, said federal agents had questioned friends and associates of him and his wife and have been sifting through “years and years of random documents.” “Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said. “He’s coming after me because I am considering running for president. To get me, he’s coming after my wife,” he said.
The California governor noted that Trump has called for investigations into a number of his perceived political opponents since returning to the White House in January of last year. “One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list,” Newsom said.
Former FBI director James Comey, an outspoken critic of Trump, was indicted in April for allegedly threatening the Republican president in an Instagram post. Comey was also charged in September with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding. A federal judge threw out the case on the grounds that the US attorney handpicked by Trump who brought the charges was unlawfully appointed. The judge tossed a separate case at the same time that was brought against another Trump foe, New York Attorney General Letitia James.
California Senator Alex Padilla condemned the investigations into his fellow Democrat. “The Trump Administration’s decision to investigate Governor Newsom fits a pattern: speak out against this President, hold him accountable for his own corruption and failures, and you become a target,” Padilla said in a post on X. “Every American should be alarmed when the nation’s top law enforcement agency is reduced to a tool of political retribution rather than an independent institution charged with enforcing the law fairly.”
© 2024 AFP
