'Abuse of power': Gavin Newsom says Trump is using DOJ to target political opponents

California Gov. Gavin Newsom held a news conference on Thursday, speaking to reporters for the first time since he claimed that he and his wife are under a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice, which he says is a politically motivated move by President Donald Trump. The Democratic leader claimed that the abuse of power was "overwhelming," as it is clear that the President is using the DOJ to go after his political opponents. 

Newsom first disclosed the alleged DOJ investigation in a social media video in June, claiming people close to him and his family were getting visits from federal agents. "If a president can direct the DOJ to go after political opponents, no one is safe. That's an abuse of power. Period," Newsom wrote in a post on X, sharing a clip from his conference where he talked about the investigation. "The abuse was overwhelming. Poor and innocent people getting knocks on the door first thing in the morning, having to hire private attorneys," he said in the clip. 

He added that Trump couldn't come after him directly, so he went after his wife, which pushed him to go social with the issue, as people needed to know what was going on. "And we absorbed a lot of it. And I said this is ridiculous now," he said. At the time he went public with the allegations, he acknowledged speculation that he would seek the White House in 2028, alleging Trump was "coming after me because I'm considering running for president". However, the Justice Department hasn't confirmed a probe against him, while a report from the Associated Press cited a source familiar with the matter who claimed: "there are multiple federal probes into people around him, including one related to his wife's taxes."

The California Governor isn't the only one to allege publicly motivated probes, as earlier this year, the Justice Department secured a two-count indictment against former FBI Director James Comey for allegedly threatening Trump by posting a photo on social media. It was the second indictment against Comey, a fierce critic and outspoken opponent of the President, who led the initial investigation into possible Russian ties to the 2016 Trump campaign, as per NPR.

Newsom's allegations also come at a time when Trump nominated Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the permanent post after he fired former Attorney General Pam Bondi. Blanche previously served as Trump's personal attorney before he was appointed as the deputy attorney general. He has also faced allegations of weaponizing the Justice Department to serve the president's political motivations, and recently, over 1,200 former workers of the department wrote a letter to senators urging them to reject his nomination.

The lawyers accused Blanche of "demonizing career employees" and firing hundreds of workers for unlawful reasons, including working on cases that the president didn't like. "The culture of fear Blanche has instilled within DOJ's workforce must end. Respect for career professionals must return. Would-be job applicants need to believe the Justice Department lives up to the virtue in its name," the lawyers wrote in the letter.