California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) international travel courtesy of private benefactors is the subject of a federal criminal investigation, the San Francisco Standard reported Saturday.
The Standard recently reviewed subpoenas issued by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), specifically a U.S. Attorney’s Office in California.
According to the digital news outlet:
The subpoenas — which were issued in early September and requested testimony and communications with the governor, among others — seek six years of records involving the California State Protocol Foundation, a nonprofit that has paid for Newsom’s overseas travel, as well as communications with a circle of his current and former aides, advisers, and associates. Those aides include Rebecca Prowda, who oversees Newsom’s overseas travel as his chief protocol officer and is the wife of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
The investigative report from the outlet noted that the documents “provide the clearest picture yet” of the extent of the probe of the governor and his wife.
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“The records requested by this subpoena are for use in a criminal investigation pending in the Eastern District of California,” according to one of the subpoenas seen by the Standard. It was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Anderson.
Investigators reportedly want to scrutinize communications with members of the Protocol Foundation’s board, some who are also Newsom’s closest advisers and confidantes.
The California Post reviewed state records and found that since 2019, Newsom has directed more than $7.5 million in donations from outside groups to the Protocol Foundation. Roughly $5.1 million of that amount came from leftover inaugural funds.
The Post reported:
Some of the foundation’s top donors include companies and groups that have business with the state or are affected by Newsom’s decisions as governor. Donors include CVS, a foundation for Blue Shield, and Zoox, an autonomous vehicle company testing robotaxis in San Francisco and other California cities. Newsom also sought money from the lefty dark money group New Venture Fund and crypto billionaire Chris Larsen.
Other notable contributors are foundations linked to wealthy philanthropists Susie Tompkins Buell and Lisa Stone Pritzker, both of whom have helped bankroll Gov. Newsom’s political activities and propped up his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s nonprofits.
In short, investigators appear to be looking at whether or not generous donors then benefited from government policies — so-called “pay to play.”
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The governor’s office issued a response to recent news about the probe, blaming President Donald Trump for the effort in a statement:
Governor Newsom went after the king — and as he warned in June, the tyrant is now coming after everyone around him. This is what Donald Trump does to his enemies: investigate first, hunt for a crime that doesn’t exist second. It’s deeply upsetting to see innocent staff, friends, and family have their names dragged through the mud just because they’re associated with the Governor.
Newsom has been seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate as a Democrat, which his supporters believe makes him a big Trump target.
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According to the Standard, the Protocol Foundation has helped cover travel expenses for California governors for more than 20 years, relying on private donations rather than funding by taxpayers.
A spokesperson for the foundation told the San Francisco outlet it could not discuss or verify an investigation but defended its work.
“It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has proudly supported both Republican and Democratic administrations in fulfilling their duties representing all of California through public events and international engagements,” the foundation spokesperson said.
Breitbart News contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more
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