If that doesn't destroy trust, I don't know what else I can tell you
In the long tradition of political power testing the boundaries of institutional trust, California's attorney general and governor have declared themselves targets of a weaponized Justice Department — even as reporting suggests the federal investigation into Newsom and his wife predates the Trump administration entirely, having been opened by Sacramento prosecutors during the Biden years. The dispute is less about the facts of the probe than about who controls the narrative surrounding it, and what that narrative might mean for Newsom's political future. When the machinery of justice becomes a contested symbol, the truth of its origins can matter less than the story each side needs it to tell.
- California AG Rob Bonta refused to walk back his claim that Trump weaponized the DOJ against Newsom, even after reporting revealed the investigation began under Biden.
- Newsom announced the probe publicly on social media, framing himself as a victim of presidential persecution and implicitly elevating his status as a 2028 contender.
- Sources familiar with the case say Washington played no role in opening the investigation, which grew from whistleblower complaints about personal finances and traces back to a corruption case involving Newsom's former chief of staff.
- Newsom's office is now arguing the Trump administration may have expanded the probe's scope, and has filed public records requests to find evidence of that expansion.
- Senator Adam Schiff notably declined to comment on the investigation's origins, his silence cutting against the unified front California Democrats have tried to present.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has staked out an unambiguous position: the Trump administration is using the Justice Department to persecute political enemies, and Governor Gavin Newsom is the latest target. When confronted with reporting that the federal investigation into Newsom and his wife actually began in 2025 — during the Biden presidency — and was opened by prosecutors in Sacramento rather than directed from Washington, Bonta did not waver. He called the probe "highly dubious" and said the circumstances alone were enough to destroy trust in its legitimacy.
Newsom had broken the news himself on social media, casting the investigation as something Trump had personally orchestrated. The governor leaned into the framing of political martyrdom, noting that leading the nation's largest, most Democratic state — and the world's fourth-largest economy — made him an obvious target for a president who might view him as a 2028 rival.
The factual record, however, complicated the narrative. Sources told Fox News the investigation had been underway since 2025, rooted in whistleblower complaints about the Newsoms' personal finances and managed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento. Washington, sources said, had no hand in opening the case. The probe also had a prior connection to a corruption matter that resulted in a guilty plea from Newsom's former chief of staff, Dana Williamson — though Newsom himself was not implicated in that earlier case.
Newsom's team has attempted to thread the needle: acknowledging the investigation may have begun under Biden while arguing the Trump administration has since expanded its reach to include the governor directly. To test that claim, his office filed a public records request seeking DOJ documents referencing him or his wife during Trump's second term.
Notably absent from the chorus of condemnation was Senator Adam Schiff, who declined to answer questions about the investigation's origins — a silence that left open the question of whether California's Democratic leadership privately holds a more complicated view of the timeline than their public statements suggest.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta stood firm on a claim that has become central to Gov. Gavin Newsom's defense: that the Trump administration is using the Justice Department as a political weapon. When pressed on reporting that contradicted this narrative—that the federal investigation into Newsom and his wife actually began under the Biden administration and was opened by prosecutors in Sacramento, not Washington—Bonta did not retreat. Instead, he doubled down, calling the probe "highly dubious" and saying there was no reason to trust it.
Newsom had announced the investigation publicly on social media Monday, framing it as a direct attack orchestrated by President Trump. He claimed to have discovered that he and his wife, Jen Siebel Newsom, were targets of a DOJ probe that Trump had personally directed. The governor positioned himself as a victim of political persecution, suggesting his prominence—he leads the nation's most populous state, its bluest state, and the world's fourth-largest economy—made him a natural target for a president threatened by his potential as a 2028 presidential candidate.
Bonta echoed this interpretation in his public statements. He told Fox News Digital that Trump had weaponized the Justice Department, transforming it from an institution pursuing criminal cases into one conducting what he called "political persecutions against political enemies." He also claimed Trump had ordered former Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue his political opponents. When asked to elaborate on what would convince him otherwise, Bonta said: "If that doesn't destroy trust and make you doubt the intent behind this probe, I don't know what else I can tell you."
Yet the factual record told a different story. Sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to Fox News that the probe had been underway since 2025—meaning it began during Joe Biden's presidency. The investigation originated from whistleblower complaints about Newsom and his wife's personal finances and was being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento. Critically, sources said Washington was not involved in the decision to open the case. The investigation had roots in an earlier corruption case that resulted in charges against Newsom's former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who pleaded guilty to lying about sharing internal information. Newsom himself was not personally involved in that earlier probe.
Newsom's office has suggested that while the investigation may have begun under Biden, the Trump administration's federal investigators have since expanded its scope to include the governor himself. To test this claim, Newsom's office filed a public records request with the DOJ seeking all documents mentioning him or his wife during Trump's second term, including communications with Justice Department leadership.
Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, declined to answer questions from Fox News Digital about the investigation's origins when asked directly about the reporting that it had been opened by California prosecutors rather than the Trump administration in Washington. His silence stood in contrast to the vocal denunciations coming from Bonta and Newsom, leaving unanswered the question of whether Democratic leadership in California had privately acknowledged the investigation's actual timeline.
Notable Quotes
This is someone who's weaponized the U.S. DOJ time and time again. I think he's doing it now.— California Attorney General Rob Bonta
Everyone knows that he could be president of the United States. So you put that situational awareness and context into this, and what do you conclude?— Rob Bonta, on Newsom's national profile
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
If the investigation started under Biden, why is Newsom calling it Trump's weapon?
Because the scope appears to have changed. What began as a financial inquiry into his wife may have expanded to include him directly once Trump took office. That's the distinction Newsom's making—not that the probe itself is invented, but that it's been weaponized through expansion.
But doesn't that require proof? How does Newsom know Trump ordered the expansion?
He doesn't have proof yet. That's why his office filed the public records request. They're trying to find the evidence of the pivot—the moment when Sacramento prosecutors suddenly got new marching orders from Washington.
What about Bonta's claim that Trump ordered Pam Bondi to go after enemies?
That's a broader allegation about Trump's approach to the DOJ, not specific evidence about Newsom's case. Bonta is making a character argument: given what Trump has done elsewhere, you should assume the worst here.
Is that fair reasoning?
It's politically coherent. But it's not the same as proving this particular investigation was opened for political reasons. The timeline matters. If it started under Biden, the burden shifts to showing when and how it changed.
Why did Schiff stay silent?
That's the real tell. If the facts were clearly on Newsom's side, Schiff would have said so. His silence suggests the Democratic leadership knows the investigation's origins are complicated.