NASHUA, New Hampshire — Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said the Justice Department’s investigation into his wife won’t make him any less likely to run for president in 2028, and suggested it might even harden his resolve.
“Quite the contrary, it makes me more resilient, what he’s doing, because I now have a deeper understanding, intimate understanding of the weaponization of what’s going on in this country, what’s going on at the DOJ, what’s going on at the FBI, what’s going on in the IRS,” Newsom said at a campaign event in Nashua, New Hampshire.
Newsom was asked about the inquiry as he stokes fresh speculation about his 2028 ambitions, appearing at a field office Saturday to campaign for a slate of Democratic candidates, including Senate nominee Chris Pappas. Little is publicly known about the investigation into Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, but the Justice Department appears to be exploring their taxes and ties to certain nonprofits.
“Donald Trump called for my arrest a number of years ago. He has pursued investigations for the last year and a half. Now he’s going after my wife because he can’t find anything on me,” Newsom told Politico. “I will make a determination after the midterms, but if his intention was to get me to stand down and walk away, I assure you, it’s not working.”
When pressed on whether Newsom was more likely to run for president because of the investigation, Newsom told the Washington Examiner it was “inconsequential” to his 2028 decision-making.
KATHY HOCHUL COUNTS ON MAMDANI TO REV REELECTION TURNOUT DESPITE GOP ATTACKS
“Going after someone’s wife says everything about the character of Donald Trump, and so — if he wants to come after me, come after me. But he didn’t have the guts to do that,” Newsom said. “It’s just shameful, and it’s sadly where we are in this country right now, and it’s every reason I’m out here fighting as hard as I am.”
The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication, but has previously declined to confirm details of its open cases. The investigation reportedly stems from U.S. Attorney’s Office whistleblower complaints in Sacramento, California.