The withheld payments remain as Newsom says the Trump DOJ investigation is politically motivated
California Post opinion editor Joel Pollak discusses the Justice Department’s investigation into the finances of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom blames politics for the Justice Department’s investigation into his and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s finances, but one critic says the explanation does little to address the behavior that drew the state’s scrutiny in the first place.
“We don’t know if this investigation is politically motivated or not,” California Post opinion editor Joel Pollak told FOX Business.
“It didn’t help John Bolton when he said the investigation into his misuse of classified information was politically motivated. He just pleaded guilty, so that doesn’t say whether Newsom is guilty or not.”
Pollak said the controversy goes beyond charitable donations and centers on so-called “solicited payments” — donations solicited by elected officials for causes or organizations they support.
GAVIN NEWSOM SAYS TRUMP ORDERED DOJ PROBE TO SHOW HIM AND HIS WIFE.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a bill signing ceremony related to the redrawing of state federal maps on Aug. 21, 2025, in Sacramento, Calif. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
In the Newsom case, Pollak noted that some of the payments were directed to organizations connected to Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, raising questions about a possible conflict of interest.
“It wasn’t just donations,” Pollak said.
“He was fined for failing to report so-called solicited payments… and if Newsom had been honest with the voters of California, he would have disclosed what these solicited payments were, instead of waiting until the deadline to answer,” he added.
Pollak argued that the program creates the appearance that donors can receive favorable treatment from the governor.
CNN PANELIST COMPARES HUNTER BIDEN, GAVIN NEWSOM MASH UP TO ‘CERTIFIED YOUTH BIKES’
California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, attend a dinner for US governors and their spouses following the National Governors Association meetings in Washington, DC, Feb. 24, 2024. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)
The governor has accused Trump’s Justice Department investigation of being politically motivated and is linking it to his 2028 presidential bid.
“After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump ordered his Justice Department to investigate me,” Newsom said in a video statement. “And last week, I learned that his campaign has reached my home: to get me, he will go after my wife, Jen.”
In a statement sent by Fox News, Jennifer Siebel Newsom criticized the Trump administration for alleged fraud.
“It is clear that there are no limits to what Donald Trump will do to get his way or challenge those who get in his way. This is not the behavior of the president, and the Governor and the Governor will continue to speak truth to power because the American people deserve more,” he said.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Fox News host Lara Trump and contributor Joe Concha examine the federal investigation into Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife on ‘The Evening Edit.’
The California governor’s office previously provided Fox News Digital with a fact sheet saying federal investigators spent months trying to incriminate Newsom and, when they failed, expanded their search for criminal activity. The fact sheet also alleges that federal agents subpoenaed records and conducted interviews covering years of employment.
Sources familiar with the matter told Fox News that the investigation has been ongoing since 2025 and that the investigation is based on whistleblower complaints about Newsom’s affairs and his wife’s finances. The case is being handled by the US Attorney’s Office in Sacramento.
Fox News Digital’s Bonny Chu and Robert Schmad contributed to this report.
