CNN Spins Local Newsom Investigation as Trumpist Political Witch Hunt

James Waterman
June 16th, 2026 10:28 PM

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California Governor Gavin Newsom has frequently pushed himself as a stronghold of opposition to President Donald Trump. This Monday, Newsom issued a press statement claiming he was being politically persecuted by the Trump administration with references to an alleged federal investigation into his wife’s finances, and on Tuesday, CNN News Central was immediately ready to echo those claims.

Discussing the details of the investigation, they made sure to push their narrative about the weaponization of the justice system along the way with, of all people, former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who declared:

I should also say that the existence of that sort of investigation in normal times, the simple fact that it’s targ- It may be targeting a political family, a political person, his wife, doesn't necessarily mean that investigation is politically motivated. It shouldn't mean that. 

But on the other hand, what we have seen so many times by this administration, unlike any other administration before it, is the very proactive, blatant use of the Justice Department to go after political enemies, to target political people, to try to drum up negative information about the people they don't like. And so now, in these very strange times, whenever you see someone from a political background, particularly a Democrat, targeted, you have to consider that politics and bias and revenge might be the real motive here.

 

 

For all their worries about Trump’s DOJ targeting political opponents, CNN avoided mentioning a crucial detail about the Newsom case: the Trump administration didn’t open the investigation! It is a continuation of a variety of investigations around the family, in this specific case because whistleblower complaints were forwarded to the local US Attorney’s Office. Contrary to CNN’s faux concerns, the probe into Newsom’s family’s finances seems to be legitimate.

The closest CNN got to acknowledging this fact is when Sara Sidner says:

Look, the Justice Department insists that political leadership wasn't involved in opening this probe.

Even their terribly brief acknowledgement of the facts is misleading, making it appear like the DOJ is covering its tracks rather than simply informing the public as to the nature of the investigation. Rather than properly explain the situation, CNN doubled down on their panic with commentator and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel:

This is because he's thinking of running for president. He is a political target. And worse than that, and I think the governor knows it - we talk often and frequently - the fact is, you're taking a Justice Department that is supposed to be a political-free zone and making it an instrument of politics. That undermines everybody's understanding and appreciation, that everybody will be held to the same standard of a rule of law.

 

 

Thus, out of a typical criminal investigation CNN have boosted their golden boy future presidential candidate once more into the spotlight. We should expect to see them continue to reinforce his status as a supposed bastion against Trumpist oppression rather than report the actual facts, because at its root CNN is a partisan organization disguised as a credible news network.

The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read.

CNN News Central

June 16, 2026

07:29:52 A.M.

JOHN BERMAN: All right. Breaking overnight, a source tells CNN the Justice Department is investigating the wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom said he is being targeted because he has been an outspoken critic of the president, and he is considering himself running for president.

[Cuts to video]

GAVIN NEWSOM: One by one, anyone who has challenged Donald Trump has ended up on his hit list. And today, I proudly join that list.

[Cuts back to live]

BERMAN: Now, one source tells CNN Newsom himself is not being investigated. The probes are looking at possible tax crimes by people connected to him. Let's get more details on this from CNN's Katelyn Polantz. So what are you learning about who exactly is being investigated for what?

KATELYN POLANTZ: Well, John, we're still trying to figure out the contours of this investigation, but it appears to be around Gavin Newsom's wife, Jennifer Newsom, someone who has been very active in nonprofits, is also a documentary filmmaker in California. 

And indeed, the amount of information we've gained about this so far is that Gavin Newsom himself is not being investigated, and he himself has not received any subpoenas for information regarding an active grand jury investigation. However, the governor's office yesterday did tell us that both FBI and IRS agents - so that would be a tax probe indicating some sort of tax inquiry - that they were approaching contacts around the Newsom family, asking them questions. 

And when they were asking those questions, it became apparent to the governor's office that those questions were about money that the federal investigators must have seen in Newsom's accounts, or somehow obtained information about Newsom's accounts, potentially indicating that there were subpoenas to banks or subpoenas around bank accounts of him and his family. 

Now, Gavin Newsom, he is saying publicly that he feels he is being targeted, he and his family are being targeted because he is considering running for president. And he says he is adding himself at this time to the Trump retribution list, the people who have been targeted by the Justice Department because they are political enemies of Donald Trump. 

We don't exactly know if this is that type of investigation, like the ones we have seen in two others, Letitia James, the New York Attorney General, James Comey, the former FBI director. But this appears to be an investigation that started a bit before. Here's what Newsom had to say yesterday, specifically about the part that this is looking into questions around his wife.

[Cuts to video]

NEWSOM: Put my name on every and any enemies list you have, but leave my wife and family out of your personal vendetta. I'd like to say something to my wife. These times are not normal, they're not ordinary. I love you, and I'm sorry he's doing this. You have not earned a single one of the indignities that he's trying to inflict on you and our children.

[Cuts back to live]

POLANTZ: So, John, we now wait, and we continue to report to see what else we can learn about this investigation, as we know that it is very likely coming out of the Eastern District of California, the Sacramento U.S. Attorney's office, and see what else might emerge out of California in the coming days. Back to you.

BERMAN: Yeah. Whatever the legalities here, there are certainly political ramifications. Katelyn Polantz for us with the latest on all of this. Thank you very much. Sara?

SARA SIDNER: All right. We're going to continue the conversation now with CNN senior law enforcement analyst Andrew McCabe. I mean, I guess to you, there is this overarching question as to whether this is another case of a fishing expedition from the Trump administration in order to go after a political enemy or the family member of a political enemy. Have you seen any indication of evidence that there is a legitimate case?

ANDREW MCCABE: Yeah, Sara, that's what makes this one a little bit tough, because we don't have anything official. We don't have any really solid evidence. It is simply the governor saying that friends and associates have been contacted by FBI agents and IRS agents, and they've been asked questions that are specific enough - presumably about specific transactions - that would indicate that they have had access to financial records. 

Now, it's entirely possible that the governor or his wife are currently under investigation. If they were, agents could be using subpoenas to subpoena records from banks or phone companies or anybody else and you- they wouldn't know about that at this early point in the investigation. Those sorts of subpoenas are usually used with non-disclosure orders from the grand jury. So your bank can't tell you if the government has subpoenaed your records. So it could be happening. But we don't have any really solid proof at this point.

SIDNER: Look, the Justice Department insists that political leadership wasn't involved in opening this probe. What would be normal investigative activity? Is this normal? You go around and you talk to some associates as you're trying to look into something? Does this just seem like a normal course of events, how they're doing it?

MCCABE: Yeah. Well, you know, it could be. So let's remember that for- on the FBI side, to open a full investigation on someone is a very- there's a very low threshold. The FBI simply has to have information that indicates a federal crime may have been committed. And that's enough really to get you going, working with an assistant U.S. Attorney, using grand jury subpoenas, things like that. And in the course of that investigation, you might- you might talk to business associates or friends, people who are potential witnesses, or maybe even people who would cooperate with the government in that investigation. 

So that could be happening. And I should also say that the existence of that sort of investigation in normal times, the simple fact that it’s targ- It may be targeting a political family, a political person, his wife, doesn't necessarily mean that investigation is politically motivated. It shouldn't mean that. 

But on the other hand, what we have seen so many times by this administration, unlike any other administration before it, is the very proactive, blatant use of the Justice Department to go after political enemies, to target political people, to try to drum up negative information about the people they don't like. And so now, in these very strange times, whenever you see someone from a political background, particularly a Democrat, targeted, you have to consider that politics and bias and revenge might be the real motive here.

SIDNER: I was going to ask you about that. The trust in the sort of process here with the DOJ has in many households been lost because of the obvious going after enemies when it came to Mr. Comey and Letitia James. Andy McCabe, it's always good to have you here to talk things out and do appreciate it. Kate?

07:41:37

KATE BOULDAN: We've talked a lot about, you know, interest in 2028. What - they were talking about, Gavin Newsom and this investigation just before we came here - What do you think of this?

RAHM EMMANUEL: I think it's really, really a reckless act by the President and more so, reckless and his jus- And I say him, because there's no way if Gavin Newsom was lieutenant governor or mayor of San Francisco, they would ever do this. This is because he's thinking of running for president.

He is a political target. And worse than that, and I think the governor knows it - we talk often and frequently - the fact is, you're taking a Justice Department that is supposed to be a political-free zone and making it an instrument of politics. That undermines everybody's understanding and appreciation, that everybody will be held to the same standard of a rule of law. 

And I think this is an incredibly dangerous step. I mean, you just earlier on had a comment, the former deputy head of the FBI, who himself was a target and his own wife was the target. There is a pattern here, and I think it's a wakeup call to all of us. Regardless of what you want to think about Gavin Newsom's record: family and being a political opponent is not- doesn't make you a target of using the resources of the Justice Department and the FBI to destroy you.

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