The “powder keg” between California Governor Newsom and President Trump has been reignited once again. On June 15th, local time, Newsom posted a video statement on social media platform X, accusing Trump of ordering the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate him, his family, and former employees in political motives, attempting to find evidence and frame him with charges.
Nunes said in the video that in recent days, federal agents have visited the homes of his family, friends, and former staff members, asking for records and searching documents from many years ago. “It’s not because they have discovered crimes, but because they are trying to find some clues to those crimes.”
Donald Trump targeted me not because of my sarcastic tweets, but because I am considering a run for president.
He also accused investigators of ‘abusing the grand jury process’, demanding the retrieval of a large number of records. He stated that since Todd Blanch, Trump’s former private lawyer, became acting attorney general, the scope of investigations against him has expanded.
Facing the camera, Newson directly addressed Trump: "You can investigate my records, you can scrutinize me, you can harass me, and you can put my name on the list of all your enemies. But please do not involve my wife and family in your personal revenge."
He said, “Anyone who has challenged Donald Trump will eventually be on his list of targets. Today, I am proud to be one of those people. Trump has chosen the wrong target, and there is nothing we need to hide.”
On June 15th local time, Nussen posted a video criticizing Trump angrily. Social media
However, an anonymous source familiar with the investigation revealed to the British newspaper Reuters that there are indeed several investigations related to Newsom underway, which have lasted for about a year. However, he denied that these investigations were initiated by Trump himself.
According to this person, these investigations originated in California. The clues were provided by whistleblowers and insiders within the government. Currently, the case is being handled by the District Attorney’s Office in Sacramento County, the capital of California.
One of the investigations involved tax issues related to Newson’s wife, Jennifer Sible Newson. Another unnamed U.S. law enforcement official said that the investigation was related to the non-profit organization “California Partners,” which she co-founded and dedicated to promoting gender equality. According to public information from the California government, this organization has received donations from donors who have business dealings with the state government. Since 2020, Newson has raised over $4 million for this organization.
Another investigation involves one of Newson’s former senior advisors. However, the individual was not identified, and Newson himself did not specify which current or former assistants are being investigated.
The BBC reported on the 16th that Dana Williamson, former deputy to Newsen and a senior political figure from California, admitted federal charges in May this year related to campaign finance fraud and other offenses.
The prosecution said that she was involved in a campaign finance fraud case. She illegally misappropriated funds from the campaign account of another California Democratic politician, Xavier Becerra, to benefit her assistants. However, neither Nussenzal nor Becerra, who is currently running for governor of California, were involved in this case.
The American newspaper The Sacramento Bee previously reported that the prosecution also accused Williamson of using his influence as a Newson's staff member to pressure state government lawyers into reaching a settlement regarding sexual harassment claims with a game company that was once a client of his. In response, Newson's office stated that Williamson's actions “have nothing to do with Newson himself”.
Newson is considered one of the top candidates for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2028. Due to the limited tenure of a governor, he has been increasing his personal political influence in recent years. He frequently travels to key states for presidential primaries and has openly stated that if he were not considering running for the White House, it would be a lie.
The BBC said that Newson also increased his political influence across the United States by continuously opposing Trump. His news team often imitated Trump’s style of using all capital letters in social media posts as a way of mocking him. In addition, after Trump called for redistricting in several Republican-dominated states before the midterm elections this year, Newson successfully pushed for a new congressional district allocation in California.
This time, Newson further described his investigation as “political persecution against a potential presidential candidate”, and directly targeted the Trump administration.
Nussen's accusations are not baseless. Over the past two years, the U.S. Department of Justice has investigated or filed lawsuits against several of Trump's critics or political opponents, including former FBI Director James Comey, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who sued Trump and his businesses on charges of business fraud, and former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who had disagreements with Trump regarding monetary policy.
According to Reuters, the Department of Justice under Trump has also investigated American officials who were previously determined to have been involved in interfering with the 2016 U.S. presidential elections and supporting Trump's first election campaign. The department is also investigating Democratic lawmakers, liberal donors, and fundraising organizations who have called for military personnel to refuse to carry out illegal orders. From when Trump began his second term until November last year, at least 470 individuals, organizations, and institutions have become targets of his government’s retaliatory actions.
Last year, when Los Angeles was shaken by federal immigration raids, Trump stated that he supported the arrest of Newsom on charges of hindering California's immigration enforcement. Newsom responded by saying that the U.S. President had called for the arrest of a current state governor, which was a day he hoped never to see.
