California politics never exactly lacked for drama, but the latest round involving Gov. Gavin Newsom and an alleged federal probe has managed to pull in just about every ambitious Democrat with national aspirations—and yes, that includes former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Newsom claimed Monday that President Trump’s Justice Department is investigating him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a move that instantly set off the state’s political rumor mill and the party’s 2028 presidential hopefuls scrambling to respond, distance themselves, or lean in.
Harris chose option three.
Speaking to a CNN reporter at an event on Tuesday, the former vice president offered a blunt, two-word assessment of the situation: “not surprised.” Not exactly a vote of confidence—or shock—coming from someone who also happens to be circling the same 2028 political runway as Newsom.
She went further, unloading on the Trump administration in familiar terms, calling it, “the most callous, corrupt, and incompetent presidential administration America has ever experienced,” adding, “I predicted just about everything that has happened with this administration.”
At the Austrian World Summit in Vienna, Harris doubled down, telling attendees that Trump had long signaled he would target political enemies, framing the Newsom situation as part of what she sees as a predictable pattern.
Newsom, for his part, is already casting himself as a political martyr-in-waiting, arguing the investigations are nothing short of retaliation as he positions himself for a potential 2028 presidential run. “Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets, he’s 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,” Newsom said.
Other Democrats quickly lined up behind that narrative, including disgraced Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who didn’t hold back in his own statement: “The President’s abuse of the Justice Department continues, with new targets every day. The Governor won’t be silenced. Nor will my Senate colleagues. Nor will I. In the face of vindictive and baseless investigations, we are defiant and unbowed.”
Meanwhile, not everyone is rushing to declare political persecution. Some observers have quietly pointed out that at least one of the investigations tied to Newsom’s orbit appears to date back to the Biden-era Justice Department, including a case that ended with his former chief of staff pleading guilty to federal fraud and tax charges earlier this year.
The Justice Department itself, unsurprisingly, has declined to comment.
A source familiar with the matter told The California Post that the Newsom administration is facing multiple probes involving public corruption and tax issues stretching back more than a year, potentially touching both the governor, his wife, and current and former staffers.
Siebel Newsom’s nonprofit work has reportedly drawn particular scrutiny. The Post previously reported that Newsom helped route more than $4.4 million from special interests and wealthy donors to the California Partners Project, a nonprofit tied to his wife. Another source suggested Newsom’s early public announcement of an investigation—before anything official had been publicly confirmed—may have been strategic damage control. “What he’s trying to do is poison the well and delegitimize the whole process,” the source said.
