California Governor Gavin Newsom has spent the last year screaming about Trump corruption on every camera and social media platform he can find — while quietly steering more than $340 million in donations to political allies, liberal nonprofits, and his wife's pet projects since 2011. The hair gel must be seeping into his brain, because the man apparently has zero capacity for self-awareness.
Three hundred and forty million dollars. To friends. While pointing the finger at everyone else. That's not fighting corruption — that's teaching a masterclass in it.
Newsom has used California's "behested payments" system — a legal loophole that lets politicians direct donors to send money to nonprofits of their choosing — to funnel cash to allies for over a decade. The payments must be disclosed to the California Fair Political Practices Commission, but the reporting requirements have been notoriously loose. How convenient for a guy who's made a career out of looking clean while playing dirty.
Among the recipients? His wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom's nonprofit, the California Partners Project, which launched in 2020 and has received $4.4 million in donations solicited at the governor's behest. Donors include Silicon Valley Bank, which kicked in $100,000 in 2021 — right before its spectacular collapse required a federal bailout in March 2023. The Blue Shield of California Foundation chipped in $50,000 in 2024, which is pocket change considering Newsom solicited a staggering $20.8 million total from Blue Shield during COVID-19.
But wait, there's more. The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria made three separate $500,000 donations at Newsom's request in April 2024, March 2023, and April 2025. Right around the same time, Newsom signed a tribal-state gaming compact and personally intervened with the Interior Department in August 2024 on behalf of the rival Koi Nation tribe's proposed $700 million casino project — located just 15 miles from the Graton Rancheria's operation. Former SVB Capital president John China even sat on the California Partners Project board. Small world.
Meanwhile, Newsom has been posting gems like "The Trump Administration is a story of corruption" on Instagram and demanding on X that "My office is demanding the Trump Administration release any and all records." The audacity is almost impressive. Almost.
Republican California gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton nailed it:, "The whole concept of behested payments is disgusting." He's not wrong. It's legalized influence-peddling with a fancy name, and Newsom has exploited it more aggressively than any California politician in recent memory.
Here's the kicker that makes the whole thing even more delicious. The Justice Department opened a probe into the Newsoms' finances back in 2022 — under Joe Biden's DOJ, not Trump's. Newsom's own party started looking into him before Trump ever got the chance. His former chief of staff Dana Williamson has already been charged in a $225,000 fraud and corruption scheme. But sure, Gavin, tell us more about Trump's corruption.
When pressed about the DOJ investigation, Newsom whined: "They have not found a crime — they are simply trying to find one." Funny how that defense only works when it's coming from a Democrat. When Trump said the same thing, they impeached him. Twice.
$340 million. That's the number. Not thousands. Not a vague "millions." Three hundred and forty million dollars directed to friends, family projects, and political allies — while the man lectures the rest of us about ethics. California, you deserve better. Actually, you keep electing these people, so maybe you don't.
