AILSA CHANG, HOST:
California Governor Gavin Newsom is an outspoken critic of President Trump. And now, Newsom is accusing the Justice Department of coming after him and his wife.
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GAVIN NEWSOM: In recent days, federal agents have knocked on the doors of family friends and former employees, not because they found a crime - because they're simply trying to find one.
CHANG: That's a video that Newsom released today, where he's also accusing President Trump of abuse of power. NPR Justice correspondent Ryan Lucas is covering this and joins us now. Hi, Ryan.
RYAN LUCAS, BYLINE: Hi there.
CHANG: OK, let's start with what Newsom said. What exactly is he accusing the Trump administration of doing here?
LUCAS: Well, we heard a bit of it at the top there. He says federal agents have contacted friends and former employees. He says they're demanding records, digging through years and years of documents, and he accuses them of - specifically of abusing the grand jury process. Now, he doesn't say what specifically the investigators are looking into, but he does say this about what he says are President Trump's efforts to investigate him.
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NEWSOM: And just in the last week, I've learned that his campaign has reached my own home. To get me, he's coming after my wife, Jen.
LUCAS: Now, Newsom goes on to defend his wife, who's a documentary filmmaker. He says she has done nothing wrong. He says they have nothing to hide. I also reached out to the Justice Department about Newsom's allegations in this video, and the department declined to comment.
CHANG: OK. Well, Ryan, we have seen the Justice Department under the second Trump administration go after Trump's critics. So how does this whole situation with Newsom fit into that wider pattern? Does it fit in?
LUCAS: Well, look, there's a lot that we don't know right now about any investigation related to Newsom, but he certainly is trying to make the case that he is being targeted for political reasons. He says that he's joined a long list of Trump critics to face federal investigations. He mentions former FBI Director James Comey, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, former Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, as well as California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff. All of whom have faced investigations, and some of whom have actually been prosecuted by the Trump Justice Department. Now, Newsom also says this.
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NEWSOM: Donald Trump isn't just coming after me because of my mean tweets. He's coming after me because I'm considering running for president, because he hates that I've consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit.
CHANG: Ryan, one line in that tape stands out to me that Newsom is saying he's considering running for president. How much do you think that factors into all of this?
LUCAS: Well, look, it's a really good point. None of this is happening in a vacuum. Newsom has been very outspoken about President Trump. He's a sharp critic of his. He's been extremely active on social media going after Trump. And term limits mean that Newsom is done as governor come January, and it is no secret he might run for president. So this could all factor into his decision to make this public statement today, and he might also be hoping to generate a bit of public pushback to this purported investigation and what he alleges is an abuse of power by the administration.
CHANG: That is NPR's Ryan Lucas. Thank you so much, Ryan.
LUCAS: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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