California Governor Gavin Newsom's team is actively working to convince congressional Democrats that a federal investigation into him amounts to political retaliation, according to internal messaging documents. The strategy centers on portraying the DOJ's inquiry as a direct Trump administration effort to derail his potential presidential ambitions.
The talking points, which circulated among Democratic allies on Capitol Hill, frame the investigation as investigation-first governance rather than crime-first governance. "He ordered this investigation because the Governor is considering a run for President. Donald Trump is not investigating a crime. He is investigating a critic," the document states.
Newsom himself amplified this message in a video posted Monday, claiming federal agents have been knocking on doors of family friends and former employees simply to manufacture evidence. "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," he said.
The governor also drew a broader pattern, citing DOJ actions targeting former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, Senator Adam Schiff, former FBI Director James Comey, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as examples of the administration targeting perceived critics.
The DOJ has not commented on the investigation publicly. However, a source with knowledge of the probe told reporters it originated from whistleblowers and local sources in California, not from Trump or Washington-based DOJ officials.
The investigations underway are legitimate and serious, according to this source. The U.S. Attorney's office for the Eastern District of California has been working on multiple probes for roughly a year, including one examining the tax activities of Newsom's wife, First Lady Jen Siebel Newsom.
Another investigation involves Dana Williamson, a former Newsom chief of staff and political advisor to Xavier Becerra, who pleaded guilty last month to lying to the FBI, filing a false tax return, and conspiracy to commit fraud.
Newsom's messaging strategy, laid out in the two-page memo, offers specific language for deflecting questions about what the DOJ is actually investigating. The recommended response: "That's a question Trump's Department of Justice needs to answer. They are chasing conspiracy theories, and there isn't any credible evidence supporting the allegation of illegal conduct."
When asked whether Newsom himself has committed any crime, the talking points pivot sharply to Trump's felony convictions, with a sarcastic jab suggesting the governor "has jaywalked before" and questioning whether Trump would seek an indictment for that.
On Williamson's guilty plea, the memo argues that her charges stemmed from conduct occurring before she worked for the governor, and claims the DOJ offered her a deal in exchange for information on Newsom.
Author James Rodriguez: "The governor's team is betting that framing this as political persecution will hold his base, but the admission that legitimate probes are underway suggests the messaging is more defensive than it appears."
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