“The records requested by this subpoena are for use in a criminal investigation pending in the Eastern District of California.”
The document was signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Anderson, according to reporting by the San Francisco Standard.
The investigation does not mean Newsom has been charged with a crime. No public indictment has been announced. But the language contained in the subpoenas makes clear that federal investigators are examining more than routine bookkeeping.
A Nonprofit at the Center of the Investigation
The California State Protocol Foundation has existed for more than two decades and has helped pay expenses associated with official activities and international travel for California governors.
The organization relies on private donations rather than ordinary state appropriations.
According to the San Francisco Standard’s review of state records, Newsom has directed more than $7.5 million in outside donations to the foundation since becoming governor in 2019.
That figure is now drawing renewed attention because federal investigators are requesting information about the foundation’s donors, fundraisers and expenditures.
The subpoena also seeks records connected to Newsom’s overseas travel and participation in international events.
Among the destinations associated with Newsom’s international activities have been China, Israel, the Vatican and El Salvador.
The central question for investigators appears to be how money flowed through the foundation and how those funds were ultimately used.
That is different from saying prosecutors have already determined that the arrangement was illegal. The precise theory behind the criminal investigation has not been publicly disclosed.
Donors and Political Connections Under the Microscope
The subpoena’s financial requests could also bring renewed attention to the organizations and individuals who have contributed to Newsom-related nonprofits.
The San Francisco Standard reported that millions of dollars were directed to the Protocol Foundation during Newsom’s tenure, with a substantial portion connected to nonprofit foundations that helped finance his 2019 and 2023 inauguration events.
Federal investigators are also examining communications involving people who have worked closely with Newsom and the foundation.
Among those named in the subpoenas are Steve Kawa, a former Newsom chief of staff who served in a leadership role with the foundation; former executive secretary Jim DeBoo; former deputy chief of staff Jason Elliott; and other individuals connected to the nonprofit’s operations.
Another name appearing in the investigation is Rebecca Prowda, Newsom’s chief protocol officer.
Prowda oversees aspects of the governor’s international travel and is married to San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Investigators are seeking communications involving Prowda as part of their broader review.
Tom Willis and the Overlapping Network
The subpoenas also touch on attorney Thomas Willis, who has held several positions involving Newsom-connected organizations.
According to the San Francisco Standard, Willis has served as the registered agent for the Protocol Foundation and Newsom’s inaugural funds.
He has also served as treasurer for Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s California Partners Project and represented Newsom in matters involving the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
That overlap has placed additional attention on the network of people handling Newsom’s political, charitable and governmental affairs.
Still, being named in a subpoena does not establish wrongdoing by any individual.
Federal investigators can seek records from people who may possess information relevant to an investigation without those people themselves being accused of a crime.
Newsom Fires Back at Trump
Newsom has repeatedly portrayed the federal investigation as retaliation from President Donald Trump.
When the broader investigation became public earlier this year, Newsom quickly connected the matter to his increasingly prominent national political profile.
“Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets,” he said. “He’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president.”
Newsom’s office issued another sharply worded response following the latest subpoenas.
“Governor Newsom went after the king – and as he warned in June, the tyrant is now coming after everyone around him,” his office wrote.
The governor’s office has argued that federal investigators are targeting people associated with Newsom in an effort to build a case against him.
The Justice Department, meanwhile, has not publicly laid out the precise allegations being examined in the travel-related investigation.
The Investigation Is Still Unfolding
The Protocol Foundation itself has defended its longstanding role in supporting California governors.
“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,” a foundation spokesperson said.
That history could become an important part of the investigation as prosecutors examine whether the foundation’s activities involving Newsom were consistent with its stated purpose and applicable laws.
For now, the subpoenas provide a window into what federal investigators are examining, but they do not reveal the final conclusions of the investigation.
What is clear is that prosecutors want extensive documentation.
They are seeking donor information.
They want travel records.
They are examining communications among current and former Newsom associates.
And they are requesting information concerning certain personal and household expenses.
The investigation therefore reaches well beyond the question of who paid for a particular overseas flight or hotel room.
It is now focused on the broader financial structure surrounding the California governor’s official travel and the nonprofit that helped make those trips possible.
Newsom remains uncharged, and the precise allegations under examination have not been publicly established.
But with federal prosecutors seeking six years of records and communications from a wide circle of people connected to the governor, the investigation has clearly entered a more consequential phase.
For Newsom, who has openly discussed a potential presidential campaign, the questions surrounding his travel finances are unlikely to disappear anytime soon.
The records federal investigators are now seeking could provide the clearest picture yet of how the system operated—and whether prosecutors ultimately believe anything went beyond the boundaries of the law.
