Governor Gavin Newsom announced in June that he was under investigation by the Trump administration. He framed it as a partisan attack by the Trump DOJ. However, there was a problem with that claim. The investigation was being run out of the Eastern District of California by U.S. Attorney Eric Grant. That's the same district that got Newsom's former chief of staff Dana Williamson to plead guilty to fraud in May.
The plea deal with Williamson resulted in prosecutors dropping most of the 23 charges against her. She hasn't been sentenced yet because she had to have emergency surgery, but sentencing is expected to take place next month. In any case, some have wondered whether the deal she received might have been contingent on providing information to prosecutors about other figures she worked with. None of that has been confirmed yet, but it's still possible she gave some tips to the Eastern District. Williamson was considered Newsom's "political assassin" for nearly two years, until the end of 2024.
In any case, we've learned some new information in the last few days about what investigators are focusing on. The main focus at the moment seems to be the California State Protocol Foundation, a body which took donations to help fund Newsom's overseas travels.
The federal government is conducting a criminal investigation related to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s international travel and its funding, according to subpoenas reviewed by The Standard.
The subpoenas — which were issued in early September and requested testimony and communications with the governor, among others — seek six years of records involving the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit that has paid for Newsom’s overseas travel, as well as communications with a circle of his current and former aides, advisers, and associates. Those aides include Rebecca Prowda, who oversees Newsom’s overseas travel as his chief protocol officer and is the wife of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie...
One of the subpoenas sought records, correspondence, and receipts related to the California State Protocol Foundation, including information about its donors and fundraisers. It also sought records involving the governor’s international travel and participation in international events, as well as records related to money used for the governor’s residence, living, or personal expenses...
The California State Protocol Foundation has received millions of dollars in outside contributions during Newsom’s tenure. Since 2019, Newsom has directed more than $7.5 million in donations from outside groups to the foundation, according to a review of state records by The Standard.
One potential problem here is that donors to this slush fund have business before the state.
Donors include CVS, a foundation for Blue Shield, and Zoox, an autonomous vehicle company testing robotaxis in San Francisco and other California cities. Newsom also sought money from the lefty dark money group New Venture Fund and crypto billionaire Chris Larsen.
Newsom spent quite a bit of money on international trips, most of which seemed to be part of an attempt to bolster his credibility as a presidential candidate.
Newsom took trips this year to the annual world economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, as well as an international security conference in Munich. He also went to London to sign an environmental pact. Other past travel includes a weeklong delegation trip to China in 2023...
Newsom also used protocol funds to deliver his State of the State speech in an empty Dodger Stadium during the pandemic. And the nonprofit reportedly picked up the tab for burner phones Newsom sent to top tech CEOs last year.
At the end of 2024, the Protocol Foundation was burning through money after spending almost $600,000 more than it had brought in the previous two years, leaving the organization with just $7,790 in net funds, according to IRS records.
All of this information from the subpoenas will be presented to a grand jury who will then decide whether an indictment is necessary. For Newsom's part, he continues to claim it's a political conspiracy against him.
Newsom's office responded to the investigation in a statement, saying, "Governor Newsom went after the king — and as he warned in June, the tyrant is now coming after everyone around him. This is what Donald Trump does to his enemies: investigate first, hunt for a crime that doesn't exist second.
"This is a baseless MAGA conspiracy theory. There is no crime here. There is just a sick man in the White House weaponizing the federal government to settle personal scores.
It sounds to me like he's trying a bit too hard, but I guess some of his base might believe it. We'll have to wait and see what a grand jury decides.
