Trump pressured DOJ to 'come up with a case' against top political enemy
President Donald Trump looks on as he exits Air Force One on his arrival at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, January 31, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
President Donald Trump looks on as he exits Air Force One on his arrival at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, January 31, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
President Donald Trump's administration has reportedly been pressuring prosecutors to "come up with a case" to press against one of his top political enemies, according to MS NOW, seeking to knock down a major 2028 contender potentially.
On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, took to social media to reveal that he and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, were being investigated by Trump's Justice Department. Newsom accused the department of trying to fabricate a case that was not there, and said that this was happening not because of his viral tweets mocking the president, but because he is "considering running for President" in 2028.
"Today, my wife [and] I
joined Donald Trump’s hit list," the tweet read. "He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us. They have not found a crime - they are simply trying to find one. He isn't coming after me because of mean tweets, but because I am considering running for President. He hates that I consistently call him out. He is simply the most corrupt President in American history. We have nothing to hide. Mr. President, come after me. I am not going anywhere. The country is watching."
In an appearance on MS NOW later in the day, Carol Leonnig, a senior investigative correspondent for the network, revealed what she fellow reporter, Erum Salam, had found out about the story from sources, backing up Newsom's claims about the DOJ "trying to find" a case against him.
"First off, I want to say that we have from sources two really important nuggets," Leonnig said. "One is that the central district of California, the U.S. district attorney's office in the central district, has been pressing the line prosecutors to come up with a case against Gavin Newsom."
Sharing a clip from that broadcast to X, Izzy Gardon, Newsom's director of communications, highlighted the "come up with" phrasing, backing up the governor's claim about the administration trying to fabricate a case against him.
"However, a sourcetells us that the prosecutorsand investigators that havebeen contacting Newsom areactually based out ofSacramento, in what's called theeastern district of California," Leonnig added. "And there was aninvestigation of a staffer ofGavin Newsom's that was based out ofthat office, or if not led bythat office. And now we arehearing again from one source with some reliable information,that this is the office thatNewsom is referring to,although he may not know it,that the investigators who havebeen contacting family andfriends are based out of."