California Governor Gavin Newsom’s top lawyer, David Sapp, has issued a direct challenge to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, calling on the Department of Justice to pivot its investigative focus toward President Trump instead of the governor, The Hill reported. This development arrives on the heels of Newsom revealing that federal investigators have been looking into his own personal and business affairs, as well as those of his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
The governor has characterized these federal actions as a politically motivated campaign, suggesting that his potential future presidential ambitions and his history of vocal opposition to the president are the real drivers behind the scrutiny.
In a formal letter, Sapp argued that “the Department of Justice has poured substantial resources into investigating our office, the Governor, and the First Partner’s personal and business affairs and targeting their friends and associates.” Sapp went as far as to label the ongoing federal efforts “a fishing expedition,” adding that such a description is “actually too generous.” He insisted that if the department had a genuine commitment to rooting out corruption, the enormous resources currently being utilized to search for “a crime that does not exist” would be far better spent investigating the administration itself.
The governor views the situation as a personal vendetta
The legal affairs secretary was particularly pointed in his suggestion regarding where those resources should be redirected. He stated that Blanche should only train your attention on the open-air corruption market that the White House has become. Sapp further addressed the long-standing policy against prosecuting a sitting president, asserting that this status provides “no excuse for ignoring open and notorious corruption by his family and those around him.”
To move forward with his own inquiry, Sapp has requested access to a wide array of documentation, specifically asking for all documents and records, including but not limited to memoranda, emails, text messages, and Signal messages that relate to the current investigation into the governor.
The tension between the California executive and the federal government is clearly at a breaking point. Newsom claims that federal agents have been knocking on the doors of his family friends and former employees, a move he views as an attempt to intimidate those closest to him.
In a video posted to the social platform X, the governor was firm in his stance. “Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” Newsom said. “He is coming after me because I’m considering running for president, because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit. Donald Trump is, simply, the most corrupt president in American history.”
This conflict is the culmination of months of friction between the two leaders, which has included public clashes over wildfire management and immigration enforcement. The president has previously described the governor as “grossly incompetent” and even went as far as to endorse the idea of arresting him. Newsom has emphasized that he will not back down, while simultaneously warning the president to leave Siebel Newsom and their family out of your personal vendetta.
According to reporting from CalMatters, there have been at least two criminal probes active in the Eastern District of California for more than a year, with one focusing on the tax affairs of the First Partner and another examining the actions of the governor’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson.
Sapp concluded his letter with a specific deadline, asking that Blanche’s office make a determination on his request for records by July 6. “The United States Department of Justice selectively leaked uncorroborated details about ongoing investigative matters involving the Governor and First Partner, so it should not be a problem for you to confirm whether US DOJ has opened any investigations into the instances of apparent public corruption detailed above involving the President and his allies,” Sapp wrote.
While the governor views the situation as a personal vendetta, a source familiar with the proceedings has offered a different perspective. This source claims that the president did not personally spark the investigation, but rather that whistleblowers brought concerns to the Department of Justice office in Sacramento.
Regardless of the origin, the governor remains convinced that he has been added to an enemies list alongside figures like Jerome Powell, Letitia James, Adam Schiff, and Tim Walz. As the July 6 deadline approaches, the situation remains a high-stakes standoff between the state of California and the federal government.
Published: Jun 17, 2026 04:30 pm