California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s legal affairs secretary, David Sapp, sent a letter to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday challenging him to investigate President Trump and his allies rather than continuing what Sapp called a politically motivated probe into the governor and his wife.
In the letter, Sapp alleged that the Department of Justice has “poured substantial resources” over the past year into investigating Newsom, his office, and the business and personal affairs of his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. Sapp described the inquiries as “based on conspiracy theories peddled by rightwing operatives and outlets.”
“Calling this investigation a fishing expedition is actually too generous,” Sapp wrote in the letter, according to Politico. “If your commitment to rooting out corruption were serious, the enormous resources that you have poured into this investigation looking for a crime that does not exist would be focused elsewhere. You need only train your attention on the open-air corruption market that the White House has become.”
Sapp acknowledged that DOJ policy prohibits investigating a sitting president but argued that this does not preclude examining allegations of corruption by Trump’s family members and associates. He requested that Blanche’s office confirm whether the DOJ has opened investigations into what Sapp characterized as instances of apparent public corruption involving the president and his allies, requesting a response by July 6.
The letter represents the latest escalation by Newsom’s administration after the governor announced on June 15 that the DOJ was investigating him and his wife. Newsom claimed Trump had directed the investigations and said federal agents had knocked on doors of family friends and former employees seeking evidence of wrongdoing. The investigations have focused on Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s tax-related conduct and matters involving Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, according to reporting from CalMatters and confirmed by sources cited by The Hill.
Todd Blanche, who leads the Justice Department as acting attorney general, previously served as Trump’s personal defense lawyer, representing the president in multiple criminal cases in 2023 and 2024. Trump nominated Blanche for the permanent attorney general position in June 2026 after firing predecessor Pam Bondi in April, when Blanche assumed the acting role.
Sources
- Politico — Full text and details of Sapp’s letter to Blanche, Sapp’s accusations about DOJ resource allocation, and the substance of the investigation claims
- The Hill — Confirmation of Sapp’s challenge to Blanche, the timeline of Newsom’s announcement, and details about the investigations into Siebel Newsom and Williamson
- The New York Times — Newsom’s June 15 announcement of the investigations and context about the probe’s focus
- CNN — Details about the investigations, including Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s tax-related investigation and nonprofit matters
- The Guardian — Background on Todd Blanche’s role as Trump’s former personal lawyer and his appointment as acting attorney general
- Al Jazeera — Confirmation of Trump’s nomination of Blanche as attorney general in June 2026
