Gavin Newsom milks DOJ probe for donations how hes spending $14.5M war chest
Gov.Gavin Newsom sounded the alarm last week on President Trump ordering a federal investigation into the governor, his wife and their associates, but those in Newsom’s inner orbit may have heard a different sound: cha-ching!Within hours of releasing a video accusing the president of weaponizing the Department of Justice, Newsom’s political action committee, Campaign for Democracy, sent out an email pleading for money to help with his potential legal defense and political strategy — the latest cash grab for the PAC dedicated to raising his fame with mass text blasts, a book tour, pro-Newsom merch and podcast promotion, all while spreading the wealth to his allies.
Officials close to Newsom declined to say how much he has raised in the last week, but federal campaign records shows he has used the PAC and its connected entities — Campaign for Democracy Committee and Campaign for Democracy Group — to pay for millions in digital advertising as the California governor seeks to raise his national profile.Newsom also has used the PACs to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars current and former staffers in the Governor’s Office, covered more than $90,000 in podcasting expenses and underwrote his recent book tour, renting out venues and spending more than $1.5 million on copies of “A Young Man in a Hurry.”By the end of March, the Campaign for Democracy PAC already had $7.7 million in cash.
But combined with two other entities — the Campaign for Democracy Group and the Campaign for Democracy Committee — Newsom’s federal war chest totaled almost $14.5 million as of this spring.The PACs, which were formed in 2023, have spent millions on political advertising, polling, and supported other Democratic candidates while boosting Newsom’s profile ahead of his expected White House run in 2028.Among the biggest beneficiaries are Aisle 518 Strategies, a digital advertising firm that has received more than $4.5 million from the Campaign for Democracy PAC.The C...