Newsom brushes off DOJ probe, as Democrats worry it could hurt him in 2028

Campaign Newsom brushes off DOJ probe, as Democrats worry it could hurt him in 2028 Comments: by Amie Parnes - 06/18/26 6:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Amie Parnes - 06/18/26 6:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations involving California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, could pose a challenge for him should the governor decide to mount a presidential bid in 2028.

While the probes are in their early stages, some Democrats are already wondering whether they could tarnish Newsom’s image even before he would enter the race, giving Republicans an opening to define him.

The concern for Newsom’s supporters is not the substance of any single investigation but whether the allegations and headlines take on a life of their own.

Strategists point to controversies in recent presidential cycles that overtook a candidate’s message, including in 2016 when Hillary Clinton’s campaign was besieged with news stories about official government emails sent over a personal server.

During that campaign, Clinton’s emails became part of a constant narrative used by President Trump and his allies to batter the Democrat.

During former President Biden’s most recent campaign against Trump, Republicans sought to make hay of his son, Hunter Biden, and his business dealings, using that as an example of the then-president’s judgment and honesty.

In Newsom’s case, even if the probes remain fruitless, his opponents will underscore the fact that he is weighed down by investigations, which could inevitably be a drag on the campaign.

“There’s not one candidate who wants to enter what will inevitably be a brutal primary campaign cycle with that chain around their necks,” one Democratic strategist said.

While Trump’s DOJ has been the subject of scrutiny, with Democrats accusing Trump of going after his political opponents, it’s still the DOJ, say some Democrats.

“It’s still a DOJ investigation, which will take precious time, attention and resources away from Newsom’s campaign,” Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau told The Hill this week, a sentiment other Democrats are expressing privately.

Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons said “any investigation sucks up time and emotional energy” but he added that “Newsom is blessed by Trump injecting politics into the DOJ.”

“The more openly political DOJ has changed the environment, and fighting Trump is always a winner with the Democratic base,” Simmons said. “Newsom can leverage Trump’s DOJ attacks to rally Democrats to his side.”

Separately, some Democrats predict his opponents will also inevitably tie him to his former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, who last month accepted a plea deal after she was accused of campaign finance fraud, political corruption and tax fraud.

Gil Duran, who served as an adviser to several California Democratic politicians — including former Gov. Jerry Brown, the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein and former Vice President Kamala Harris — said the outcome remains to be seen, saying that the public doesn’t know “the full scope of what the investigation is targeting.”

“We did just have a massive corruption scandal, which turned out to be true,” Duran said of the case involving Williamson. “We don’t know the degree to which those cases lead to other cases.”

“Dana made the picture more cloudy,” Duran added. “The most important person in your operation went down for these crimes. … He’s definitely going to have to reckon with the stain that puts on his name.”

Newsom has been an early leading contender in the 2028 race and many expect him to jump into the race, based on internal conversations and public sentiments.

Even as he announced Monday that he and his wife were the subjects of federal investigations in a short video, he nodded to his probable run.

“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” the governor said. “He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president.”

After the video was released, Democrats largely rallied behind Newsom and applauded his approach of going on offense. Some noted it gives the party something they’ve wanted for some time: A Democrat who knows how to take on Trump.

And some Newsom allies are feeling bullish about his chances, even with the looming probe.

“Of course Trump will try anything to discredit an opponent,” said Garry South, a California-based strategist who has worked for Newsom on a previous campaign. “But Newsom won’t be running against Trump in 2028 and unlike the Trump of 2016, he is now a widely disliked president whose constant hyperbole and outright lies have made his veracity suspect to all but those who’ve drunk the Kool Aid.

“He is a discredited and distrusted attacker,” South added.

Other Democrats argued the investigations seem obviously politically motivated and would do little to impact Newsom’s campaign.

“There’s the court of law and there’s the court of public opinion. This appears to be an effort to tarnish him in the court of public opinion,” said Democratic strategist Anthony Coley, who worked for the Biden administration’s Department of Justice. “We’ve seen Trump’s movies before. It’s getting tired and it’s getting old.”

Democratic strategist Joel Payne said because Newsom went on offense on the story, revealing the investigation himself, that will be beneficial if he does launch a presidential campaign.

“Gavin kind of leaned into it and welcomed it, he got ahead of whatever the Trump people are trying to allege. So the first thing people heard about this was from him,” Payne said. “That’s messaging 101. That’s a good way to handle it.

“It is also helpful if it’s not true,” Payne said. “If that’s the case, he’s in the clear.”