I'm writing as a Californian who is deeply troubled by what's happening to our state right now. Federal agents have been knocking on the doors of family friends and former employees of Governor Newsom, demanding records as part of an investigation that has produced zero criminal charges after roughly a year. No charges. No evidence made public. Just federal power being used to harass and intimidate people connected to a governor who has been a vocal critic of the current administration. That's not law enforcement — that's a political weapon being pointed at California.
This matters beyond Gavin Newsom personally. When the federal government uses grand juries and federal agents to pressure private citizens — people who haven't done anything wrong — just because they know the governor, it sends a message to every Californian: speak up against Washington, and your friends and neighbors could end up with federal agents at their doors. That's a chilling effect on free speech and political opposition, and it's exactly the kind of abuse of power that our state government exists to push back against. California has legal tools — including through the Attorney General's office — to monitor, document, and respond to federal overreach that targets our elected officials and residents without legitimate legal basis.
I'm asking you to publicly call on California Attorney General Rob Bonta to open a formal review into whether federal investigative actions targeting Governor Newsom and his associates constitute an unlawful use of federal law enforcement for political retaliation, and to report findings back to the legislature and the public.
Californians deserve to know their state is standing between them and the weaponization of federal power — demand that the Attorney General formally investigate and report on this federal overreach.
