Federal Investigation Of Gavin Newsom Expands According to a new report, the Justice Department has expanded its federal criminal investigation into California Gov. Gavin Newsom to include his international travel and personal expenses related to a nonprofit that funds his trips through private donations rather than taxpayer money. Earlier this month, the US Attorney’s Office served subpoenas asking for about six years’ worth of communications relating to the California State Protocol Foundation, according to the San Francisco Standard. They sought records concerning the foundation’s donors and fundraising, Newsom’s overseas travel and events, and any money that had been used for his personal and living expenses. The Protocol Foundation exists, on paper, to spare California taxpayers the cost of Newsom’s travel expenses, but it has instead raised other ethical and legal issues. Since 2019, he has steered more than $7.5 million in outside donations to the nonprofit, with about $5.1 million coming from funds left over from his 2019 and 2023 gubernatorial inaugurations. However, the remaining donor roll includes corporations and foundations that have business before the California state government, creating the appearance of a pay-to-play arrangement in which companies like CVS, Zoox, and a Blue Shield-linked foundation gain access to, or favor with, a governor whose regulatory decisions directly affect their bottom lines. Newsom also sought money from the left-leaning dark-money outfit New Venture Fund and crypto billionaire Chris Larsen. Foundations tied to philanthropists Susie Tompkins Buell and Lisa Stone Pritzker round out the list, and both have separately bankrolled Newsom’s political operation and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s nonprofits. Federal investigators are looking at her taxes too, in a separate probe. Investigators also sought records from several Newsom aides, including Becca Prowda, his chief protocol officer and the aide who manages his overseas trips. Prowda is married to San
