Newsom's Team Urges Congress to Frame DOJ Probe as Political Retribution

California Governor Gavin Newsom's team is urging congressional Democrats to portray the Justice Department's investigation into him as a campaign of political retribution. This directive comes from talking points obtained by Axios, which indicate the messaging aims to echo Newsom's assertion that the probe was directly ordered by former President Donald Trump.

Newsom has claimed that federal agents have recently contacted family friends and former employees, stating they are "simply trying to find" a crime rather than investigating an existing one. He has publicly suggested that Trump is targeting him due to his consideration of a presidential campaign, linking his situation to other alleged targets of the Trump administration, including former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), former FBI Director James Comey, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

The messaging memo obtained by Axios states that Trump is "not investigating a crime. He is investigating a critic." The document also includes a Q&A section, recommending that inquiries about the investigation's specifics be answered by stating that Trump's DOJ is "chasing conspiracy theories" without credible evidence. On the question of whether Newsom has committed a crime, the document facetiously suggests that Newsom "has jaywalked before — Trump may seek an indictment for that."

In contrast, the Department of Justice declined to comment on the matter. However, a source familiar with the investigation informed Axios that the probe originated from "whistleblowers and local sources in California" and was not ordered by Trump or any D.C. DOJ officials. This source indicated that the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California has been conducting "very legitimate, serious investigations" for approximately a year.

These investigations reportedly include probes into individuals within Newsom's orbit, such as California First Lady Jen Siebel Newsom's "tax activities." Another investigation pertains to Dana Williamson, a former Newsom chief of staff and political advisor, who pleaded guilty last month to lying to the FBI, filing a false tax return, and conspiracy to commit fraud. The messaging memo claims Williamson's charges related to conduct prior to her work for Newsom and suggests the DOJ offered her a "deal" for information on the governor.

According to Axios, the messaging memo was first reported by Semafor.