It could be the worst case yet in President Trump’s abuse of prosecutorial power to “bully his political rivals,” said Kim Wehle in The Bulwark. California Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed recently that he and his wife are being investigated by the Department of Justice. The investigations into a Trump foil and possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate reveal “how bad things have gotten”—but Newsom is showing Americans “how to resist” Trump’s assault on the rule of law. He put the DOJ “on the defensive” by announcing its investigations himself and has filed a Freedom of Information request for documents related to two ongoing probes. “He’s coming after me because I am considering running for president,” Newsom said, adding that he is proud to join Trump’s “hit list.”
The governor’s claim of political persecution shows “savvy political skill,” but it may be misleading, said Nicole Russell in USA Today. According to the Los Angeles Times, federal prosecutors in California launched two investigations a year ago based on whistleblower tips. One investigation focused on Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who recently pleaded guilty to fraud and false statements to the FBI; that case may now be expanded beyond her. The other probe apparently is focused on Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s finances and taxes. Her nonprofits have drawn public criticism for accepting donations from corporations that lobby her husband for favorable policies, and the governor has solicited $4.3 million in donations for a nonprofit she co-founded. But “martyrdom at the hands of a Republican plays well” in a Democratic presidential primary. In fact, Newsom “seemed almost happy to drop the news,” said Kimberley A. Strassel in The Wall Street Journal. California permits elected officials to solicit donations for nonprofits, called behested payments, and Newsom has approached many people and companies—some with business before the state—on his wife’s behalf. “Ethically ugly isn’t the same as illegal,” but “the Newsoms shouldn’t be allowed to pretend that there’s nothing to see here.”
California’s First Couple is now bracing for months of intense scrutiny, said Melanie Mason and Jeremy B. White in Politico. Law enforcement is questioning their acquaintances, and Siebel Newsom has become “a recurring target in the conservative social media ecosystem,” which villainizes her as a woke elitist. Fairly or not, the DOJ’s investigations have “opened a new front in the governor’s battle with the White House.”