Jennifer Siebel Newsom is pushing back after reports that the Department of Justice is investigating nonprofit work tied to her and Governor Gavin Newsom.
California’s First Partner called the reported probe an attack on her family and accused President Donald Trump of using the Justice Department to go after political opponents.
“There are clearly no boundaries to what Donald Trump will do to get his way or to challenge those who get in his way,” Siebel Newsom said.
“This is not presidential behavior, and the Governor and I will continue to speak truth to power because the American people deserve so much more.”
Her comments came after Newsom accused Trump of directing federal investigators toward him, his wife and other family members as political payback while the California governor weighs a possible 2028 presidential run.
People close to Newsom have said the inquiry appears to be looking at nonprofit projects connected to Siebel Newsom. One of those groups, the California Partners Project, was the subject of a March report by The California Post, which found it had received millions of dollars from donors with business before Newsom and the state.
A separate part of the federal scrutiny reportedly involves a corruption case connected to Dana Williamson, Newsom’s former chief of staff. Williamson pleaded guilty last month after admitting she illegally helped a former client who was being sued by the state, among other crimes.
Newsom addressed the matter in a video posted to X, saying federal agents had recently contacted relatives, friends and former employees.
“In recent days, federal agents have knocked on the doors of family, friends, and former employees, not because they found a crime, because they’re simply trying to find one,” Newsom said.
“They’re demanding records, they’re abusing the grand jury process, digging through years and years of random documents.”
Newsom argued that Trump was targeting him because of his criticism of the president and because he may seek the White House in 2028.
“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said. “He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president, because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.”
Newsom has become one of Trump’s most visible Democratic critics since Trump returned to office in 2024. The governor has often mocked Trump’s tone and speaking style online, making his social media attacks part of a broader national profile.
Newsom also accused Trump of using Todd Blanche, his personal attorney and a top Justice Department official, to pursue political enemies.
Much of the attention appears to center on Siebel Newsom’s nonprofit and media-related work. The California Post previously reported that Newsom helped direct more than $4.4 million from wealthy donors and special interests to the California Partners Project, one of Siebel Newsom’s main initiatives.
That organization has coordinated with two other groups connected to Siebel Newsom, both of which have paid her a salary.
Siebel Newsom founded the Representation Project, a nonprofit focused on gender equity, and owns Girls Club Entertainment, a film production company that has appeared as a contractor on the nonprofit’s tax filings.
The Representation Project paid Girls Club Entertainment $161,250 for film production work in 2024, according to its most recent IRS filings.
Matt Klink, a Los Angeles political strategist and president of Klink Campaigns, said Newsom’s decision to go public could strengthen his standing with Democrats.
“Typically, the way the federal government works is they announce they’re investigating you, and if the investigation closes, no one says anything,” Klink said.
“Gavin Newsom is trying to do the opposite — he’s saying he is being investigated and the federal government is being quiet. It keeps him at the center of, ‘I’m fighting Trump and Trump is out to get me.’”
