Gavin Newsom’s lawyer just fired back at the DOJ with a bold challenge no one saw coming. The California governor’s legal team redirected federal scrutiny toward the White House in a scathing new letter.
Gavin Newsom’s lawyer turns DOJ scrutiny back on Donald Trump
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s legal affairs secretary has urged the Department of Justice to investigate President Donald Trump instead, Politico reported. In a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, attorney Anthony Sapp accused the DOJ of wasting resources on baseless probes into Newsom. Sapp described the investigations as rooted in “conspiracy theories peddled by rightwing operatives and outlets.”
The DOJ has spent “substantial resources” over the past year investigating Newsom, his office, and the personal and business affairs of his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Sapp claimed that after Newsom’s office provided information disproving an allegation, the probe shifted to unrelated matters. He argued the investigation lacked any legitimate basis or direction.
“Calling this investigation a fishing expedition is actually too generous,” Sapp wrote in the letter. He added that the DOJ’s resources “would be focused elsewhere” if the department’s commitment to fighting corruption were genuine. Sapp urged the DOJ to focus on “the open-air corruption market that the White House has become.”
However, a person familiar with the matter offered a different account of the probes. The investigations reportedly began in California rather than Washington and have focused on the first partner’s taxes. They have also examined Newsom’s former chief of staff and potentially current aides.
Sapp acknowledged that DOJ policy prohibits investigating a sitting president. Still, he argued the policy does not prevent scrutiny of Trump’s family members and associates. He also criticized the DOJ for selectively leaking “uncorroborated details” about the Newsom investigations. Sapp challenged Blanche to confirm whether the DOJ has opened any investigations into “apparent public corruption” involving Trump and his allies. The letter represents Newsom’s latest effort to frame the federal probes as politically motivated retribution.
