Gavin Newsom has spent months insisting the Trump administration is hunting for a crime that doesn't exist.
A federal grand jury would apparently like to see the receipts before taking his word for it.
Federal subpoenas issued this month seek six years of records tied to Newsom's international travel, outside funding, personal expenses, living expenses, and money connected to his residence.
Investigators also want records involving donors and fundraisers for the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit that has paid for the governor's overseas travel.
From the San Francisco Standard:
The documents provide the clearest picture yet of the scope of a federal investigation effort Newsom first disclosed in June, which he said was focused on him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom.
“The records requested by this subpoena are for use in a criminal investigation pending in the Eastern District of California,” says one of the documents, signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Anderson.
The records obtained via subpoena will be presented to a grand jury, a group of jurors that acts like a judge, reviewing evidence and testimony to decide if there’s sufficient grounds for an indictment.
Newsom’s office said the investigation is baseless, and there are no crimes to investigate.
“Gov. 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,” the governor’s office said. “It’s deeply upsetting to see innocent staff, friends, and family have their names dragged through the mud just because they’re associated with the governor.”
The requests reach into Newsom's inner circle. Investigators are seeking communications involving current and former aides, advisers, foundation board members, and Rebecca Prowda, Newsom's chief protocol officer, who helps oversee his foreign travel.
One subpoena plainly states that the records are being sought for a criminal investigation pending in the Eastern District of California and will be presented to a federal grand jury.
From the San Francisco Standard:
A spokesperson for the foundation said it could not discuss or verify an investigation but defended its work.
“It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has proudly supported both Republican and Democratic administrations in fulfilling their duties representing all of California through public events and international engagements,” the spokesperson said.
The demand extends into Newsom’s longtime political and government circle. One of the subpoenas requests communications with four members of the California State Protocol Foundation’s board. As recently as November 2025, the foundation was headed by Steve Kawa — former chief of staff for Newsom and San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee — according to state records.
Communications with Kawa and other board members were subpoenaed, including Jim DeBoo, Newsom’s former executive secretary; Matina Kolokotronis, COO of the Sacramento Kings; and Jason Elliott, Newsom’s former deputy chief of staff.
The California State Protocol Foundation has received millions in outside contributions during Newsom's governorship. State records reviewed as part of the investigations show Newsom directed more than $7.5 million in contributions to the foundation since 2019, much of it connected to his inaugurations.
Now prosecutors want donor information, travel records, receipts, and documents involving money used for Newsom's personal and living expenses.
Newsom calls the investigation a political vendetta. In June, he accused President Donald Trump of using the Justice Department against political enemies and said investigators were searching for a crime instead of investigating one already identified.
From Gov. Newsom's press release:
Donald Trump is simply the most corrupt President in American history.
He has turned the levers of government into his own personal power ministries to reward cronies and to try to jail his opponents.
His personal attorney now runs the Department of Justice, which has repeatedly gone after his political enemies.
Ask Jerome Powell.
He sent them after James Comey.
Tish James.
Adam Schiff.
He sent them after Tim Walz.
And a woman that a jury found Donald Trump had sexually abused.
One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list.
And today, I proudly join that list.
After calling for my arrest last year, Donald Trump directed his Department of Justice to investigate me.
And just in the last week, I’ve learned his campaign has reached my own home: to get me, he’s coming after my wife, Jen.
A public servant. A woman who has dedicated her life to supporting women and girls.
Newsom also said federal agents could take every record and read every page because he had nothing to hide.
Excellent! They accepted his terms.
Newsom's recordkeeping has already caused trouble closer to home. In June, California's Fair Political Practices Commission fined him $31,500 after finding that he failed to timely file 18 required reports involving behested payments.
The state case is separate from the federal investigation, and there is no evidence the two are connected. It does establish something simpler: questions involving outside payments and Newsom's disclosure obligations didn't originate in Donald Trump's White House.
A subpoena isn't a conviction, and the documents made public so far don't identify a specific crime. Prosecutors now have the job of following the records wherever they lead.
Newsom doesn't get to substitute political outrage for the records themselves.
He has built a national profile accusing Trump and Republicans of corruption, self-dealing, abusing power, and bending government toward wealthy interests. Meanwhile, private donors have helped finance official travel through a foundation closely tied to Newsom's administration, and federal investigators now want six years of documents showing how that system operated.
Maybe every dollar was proper; the grand jury gets to examine the paper trail rather than accept Newsom's press releases as evidence.
Newsom says he has nothing to hide. Pfft! Yeah, right. And I have a full head of hair!
Six years of receipts should prove who is right.
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