{"id":2615039,"date":"2026-06-17T08:17:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T12:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/there-are-some-hints-about-whats-really-going-on-with-the-gavin-newsom-investigation\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T08:19:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T12:19:50","slug":"there-are-some-hints-about-whats-really-going-on-with-the-gavin-newsom-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/there-are-some-hints-about-whats-really-going-on-with-the-gavin-newsom-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"There Are Some Hints About The Newsom Investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthere-are-some-hints-about-whats-really-going-on-with-the-gavin-newsom-investigation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2615039&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses recent allegations and investigations involving California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/us-debt-default-could-help-china-dethrone-the-dollar\/\" title=\"China may replace the dollar if the US defaults on its debt.\">amid political tensions<\/a>. Newsom claims he&#8217;s under inquiry by the Department of Justice, which he says is trying to find a crime, though no charges have been filed.The focus appears to be on &#8220;behested payments,&#8221; where corporations donated to charities linked to newsom, including those run by his wife, possibly implying quid pro quo arrangements. Past reports have highlighted large corporate donations and potential conflicts of interest, including political influence and real estate dealings. Federal scrutiny has also involved allegations of campaign fund theft by a former newsom aide and broader corruption issues that have historically affected California politics. Newsom suggests the investigations are politically motivated, but evidence indicates that similar probes have long been part of California\u2019s political landscape, predating recent administrations. The article emphasizes that investigations and political corruption are longstanding themes in California politics, and that Newsom\u2019s current situation is part of this broader context.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Getting on our last nerve, greasy California Gov. Gavin Newsom forces us to talk about something we would prefer to not discuss.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Today, my wife &#038; I joined Donald Trump\u2019s hit list. He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us. They have not found a crime \u2013 they are simply trying to find one.<\/p>\n<p>He isn&#8217;t coming after me because of mean tweets, but because I am considering running for President.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tVYk3WUvO8\">pic.twitter.com\/tVYk3WUvO8<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/GavinNewsom\/status\/2066585778982166808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 15, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Investigations mostly shouldn\u2019t be covered as news. By definition, if cops are <em>investigating<\/em>, they haven\u2019t nailed down what happened. They have some preliminary allegations that they can\u2019t prove yet. Even when they think they know what happened and get a prosecutor to file charges, we say that a defendant faces <em>allegations<\/em>. Talking about things that may in the future turn into allegations is a losing game, but one that a sitting governor forces us to play when he explicitly announces that he\u2019s under investigation.<\/p>\n<p>So all of this is speculation through the fog about things that may in the future be alleged, but we have some hints about the kinds of things that might draw law enforcement attention to Newsom and his wife.<\/p>\n<p>The first is probably not the thing that you\u2019ve heard about most recently, the charges involving Newsom\u2019s former chief of staff stealing from campaign funds. The most likely topic of an investigation is a much-discussed reality of California politics called \u201cbehested payments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>None of this is a new story. Way back in 2021, the Los Angeles Times <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/U66Fl#selection-2533.185-2533.502\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> that Newsom was causing concern in Sacramento by asking corporations to donate money to his favorite causes: \u201cFacebook, Google, other corporate giants flooded Newsom with record $226 million in charity donations in 2020.\u201d Knowing that a governor signs bills into law that can impose burdens on their businesses and choose companies for big government contracts, corporations turned out to be eager to comply.<\/p>\n<p>And about those <em>charities<\/em>: \u201cThree organizations, including Silicon Valley Bank, collectively gave $175,000 this year on behalf of the governor to the California Partners Project, a nonprofit launched by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom that focuses on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/putting-the-dei-in-the-dib\/\" title=\"Incorporating DEI into DIB\">promoting gender equity<\/a> and understanding the impact of technology and media on children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So the \u201cbehested payments\u201d corporations made at the behest of the governor included contributions to a non-profit run by the governor\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n<p>Advancing the appearance of <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >quid pro quo donations<\/a>, the Washington Free Beacon <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/california\/corporate-donors-gave-big-to-a-newsom-family-charity-then-the-california-governor-took-their-side-on-state-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a> last year that Newsom intervened with federal regulators in a dispute between tribes over the right to operate Indian casinos. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn April 2024, a few months before Newsom sent his letter to the Biden Interior Department, the Democratic governor requested Graton Rancheria to contribute $500,000 to his wife\u2019s charity, the California Partners Project,\u201d the Free Beacon wrote. \u201cAnd in April 2025, one month before Newsom filed his lawsuit against the Trump administration, he again asked Graton Rancheria to contribute another $500,000 to his wife\u2019s charity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Newsom suggests that Mean Orange Man is making prosecutors target him because he wants to run for president, then, a more plausible explanation for federal law enforcement interest centers on some not-at-all-new heat around pay-to-play allegations that are at least plausible: Give my wife\u2019s charity some cash and I can do things for you as governor.<\/p>\n<p>Related to the appearance of financial benefit for Jennifer Siebel Newsom from government business, the conservative journalist Jennifer Van Laar has been scrutinizing the Newsom family\u2019s <em>interesting<\/em> real estate deals for years. Sample <a href=\"https:\/\/redstate.com\/jenvanlaar\/2020\/07\/25\/gavin-newsoms-3-7-million-estate-was-gifted-to-him-in-2019-3-months-later-he-got-a-2-7-million-tax-free-cash-out-n248795\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">story<\/a>: \u201cGavin Newsom\u2019s $3.7 Million Estate Was Gifted to Him in 2019; 3 Months Later He Got a $2.7 Million Tax Free Cash-Out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And finally, proven corruption has been recently and successfully prosecuted in immediate proximity to the governor, as Newsom\u2019s former chief of staff <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/14\/dana-williamson-plea-deal-corruption-case-00920078\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pled guilty<\/a> in May to charges related to her theft from a political campaign fund that belonged to current gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever investigation turns out to be underway, none of this is recent, and every potential topic of controversy dates to the Biden administration. A Monday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/15\/us\/newsom-trump-doj-investigation.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">story<\/a> in The New York Times explicitly added the detail that at least one federal investigation into Newsom began before Trump\u2019s second term: \u201cWhen Ms. Williamson was\u00a0indicted last year, her attorney said that federal agents first approached her during the Biden administration. She was working for Mr. Newsom at the time, and the agents asked her if she would cooperate in an investigation of the governor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Newsom is now in the awkward position of arguing that a Trump administration witch hunt began when Joe Biden was the president.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s highly unlikely that Newsom is under federal investigation because Trump said so, and there\u2019s no reason for Newsom to announce the investigation if he thought it was likely to end without charges. He\u2019s trying to get ahead of something, and there are old reasons to believe that the <em>something<\/em> is real.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re forced into the bizarre position of saying that Newsom has due process rights, and is entitled to the presumption of innocence, even as he himself drops hints that he may be facing charges. <\/p>\n<p>Tread carefully around the California governor\u2019s announcement that the governor of California is under investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, federal investigators have been mucking out California politics for decades, long before they answered to Trump. Among the many available examples, a Democrat former state senator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ndca\/pr\/former-state-senator-leland-yee-sentenced-five-years-imprisonment-racketeering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">went to prison<\/a> for running a weapons trafficking racket, and the Los Angeles City Council just seems to cycle through regular seasons of federal indictment. This one is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-cdca\/pr\/former-los-angeles-politician-jose-huizar-sentenced-13-years-federal-prison\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">from 2024<\/a>: \u201cFormer Los Angeles City Councilmember Jos\u00e9 Luis Huizar was sentenced today to 156 months in federal prison for using his powerful position at City Hall to enrich himself and his associates, as well as for cheating on his taxes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Political corruption investigations are a proud California tradition that began long before Trump became president. They\u2019ll continue long after he leaves office. It\u2019s the local version of normal.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9cWnubJ9CEw?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<hr>\n<p>      Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Newsom&#8217;s investigations stir controversy and speculation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2615040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/greasebag.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4503,3976,4133,3678,5894],"class_list":["post-2615039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-hints","tag-investigation","tag-news","tag-newsom","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/greasebag.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2615039"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2615043,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2615039\/revisions\/2615043"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2615040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2615039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2615039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2615039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}