Newsom DOJ Probe Predates Trump, Sources Say. The Governor Is Framing It as Retaliation Anyway.

Since our June 15 coverage of Newsom's initial public statement, more details have surfaced about the origins and scope of the federal inquiry, and they cut against the governor's central claim.

On Monday, Newsom posted a video to X alleging that Trump had directed the DOJ to investigate him, his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, family members, friends, and former employees. "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. He called it retaliation for his potential 2028 presidential run.

What the Sources Actually Say

A source familiar with the investigation told Semafor White House correspondent Shelby Talcott that "several investigations" have been "ongoing for roughly a year." That source said the probes "originated out of Sacramento, working through whistleblowers and government sources" — not from main DOJ leadership in Washington. The investigations reportedly focus on Siebel Newsom's taxes and on Newsom's former chief of staff.

Award-winning journalist Adam Housley stated flatly on X: "Minor detail. They've been under federal investigation since the Biden admin. This isn't new." Housley reported the probe has multiple components, some connected to Napa Valley, and was initially handled by the FBI's Sacramento field office before being transferred to the San Francisco office.

The BBC confirmed this general timeline through its own source, who said the investigations had been ongoing for "roughly a year" and denied Trump personally directed them.

Breitbart reported in March that the Daily Mail had detailed allegations that Siebel Newsom collected more than $3 million through her charity, The Representation Project, directed to herself and her company Girls Club LLC over the past decade. A separate Breitbart report placed the figure for donations allegedly funneled through connected organizations at $4.4 million. These are allegations, not findings. No charges have been filed. No indictment has been announced.

Newsom's Case

Federal investigations that began under one administration can be inherited, accelerated, or redirected by the next. Even if agents first knocked on doors during Biden's tenure, the question of who is now driving prosecutorial priority and why is legitimate. Newsom is not wrong that the Trump DOJ has taken public action against political opponents, including former FBI Director James Comey and others. The allegation that an existing investigation is being weaponized as political leverage rather than pursued on the merits is not inherently absurd. It is also unproven.

The source who spoke to Talcott and BBC specifically denied Trump's involvement and described the probe as originating from local whistleblowers, not Washington. That's the denial on record. Whether it's the complete picture is an open question.

The French Laundry Thread

Housley's reporting places part of the investigation in the Napa Valley, and a separate story surfacing this week adds context about Newsom's ties to that area. The French Laundry, a three-Michelin-star restaurant in Yountville and a well-documented Newsom favorite, is now facing three labor lawsuits filed in Napa County Superior Court between March and June 2026, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The newest case, filed June 1 by former kitchen server Tiffany Hogue, alleges wage violations, denied meal and rest breaks, off-the-clock work, unlawful tip pooling, and unpaid trial shifts. A second complaint, filed May 15 by Jovani Ibarra, makes similar allegations covering his employment from October 2021 to August 2023. French Laundry Partners has denied the allegations, with a spokesperson telling the Chronicle that the company "treats all employees lawfully and in full compliance with all applicable California employment laws."

None of the current sources directly connect the French Laundry labor complaints to the federal investigation into Newsom. Housley mentioned Napa Valley connections without specifying the restaurant.

What's Confirmed

Here is what sources have confirmed, on the record or on background:

• Federal investigators have contacted people in Newsom's orbit, including former staff.
• At least one investigation concerns Jennifer Siebel Newsom's taxes.
• At least one involves a former chief of staff. The source did not identify which one, though Newsom's former chief of staff Dana Williamson has a relevant public legal history.
• The investigations are based in Sacramento, not Washington.
• They originated from whistleblower complaints, according to a source familiar with the matter.
• They appear to predate Trump's return to office.
• No charges have been filed as of June 16, 2026.

Newsweek and other outlets that leaned heavily on Newsom's own framing, describing this primarily as Trump retaliation, underweighted the Biden-era origin reporting that was available at the time of publication.

The unresolved question that will define how this story develops: if the probe started under Biden, who made the call to escalate contact with Newsom's family and former employees in recent days, and on whose instruction?