Gov. Gavin Newsom says Justice Department is investigating him and his wife

A federal prosecutor’s office based in Sacramento is investigating California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wife for potential tax fraud and evasion, MS NOW has confirmed with two sources familiar with the probe.

The probe stems back to early 2025, and is just one of several investigations that have encircled Newsom, his office and his family, the people said. The Justice Department’s public integrity section had been investigating for months potential crimes involving the tax filings of Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and had teamed up with the U.S. attorney’s office in the Eastern District of California, based in Sacramento, the people said.

The outspoken governor announced the probe Monday, accusing President Donald Trump of again using the agency to target his foes.

“Today, my wife & I joined Donald Trump’s hit list. He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us,” Newsom said on X. “We have nothing to hide.”

Newsom’s wife has been interviewed in recent weeks by federal investigators as part of the inquiry, which is focused on evidence indicating her personal use of nonprofit funds, one of the people briefed on the probe said. 

Newsom, a likely candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, said the Department of Justice has been trying to contact those close to him and uncover documents related to him.

“In recent days, federal agents have knocked on the doors of family friends and former employees. Not because they found a crime. Because they are simply trying to find one,” Newsom said the a video message posted to his official website and X account, accusing Trump and his DOJ of “abusing the grand jury process.”

“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets. He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president,” the two-term governor said.

Other investigations have been eyeing Newsom and his operations, according to the sources. One person said Newsom’s chief of staff had been under investigative review in the Sacramento office. Additionally, the top political prosecutor in the Central District of California, Bill Essayli, had been pushing his prosecutors to investigate Newsom for months, that person said, but the status of that office’s work is unclear. 

“There have been several investigations in California involving Newsom and his wife, going on for more than a year,” said one person familiar with the California investigations.

While Newsom said he is proud to join what he characterized as Trump’s “hit list” of political foes, he condemned what he called the targeting of his wife, whom Newsom described as “someone who has done nothing wrong, other than having the temerity to advocate for what she believes in.”