Mockery abounds over Newsom-DOJ revelation: 'Congrats to his fundraiser'

The internet fired off reactions on Monday after California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the Department of Justice launched an investigation targeting him and his wife.

Newsom claimed that federal agents — under President Donald Trump's orders — have contacted people and organizations connected to California's first lady, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and have begun investigating him as one of the president's political adversaries. The governor and outspoken Trump critic has considered a presidential run for 2028 and cited that as the reason behind the probe.

He dropped a direct message for the president in a video response posted on X.

"Today, my wife & I joined Donald Trump’s hit list. He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us," Newsom wrote.

"Mr. President, come after me. I am not going anywhere," Newsom said.

Media and political experts responded to the news.

"Malignant narcissists target anyone who threatens their image and challenges their interests. Especially effective communicators like Newsom who criticize with what seem like accurate allegations," Bob Pickard, principal at Leadership Communication Inc., who has more than 86,000 followers, wrote on X.

"Congrats to Newsom's fundraiser," Igor Bobic, Senate reporter at NOTUS, wrote on X.

"Trump is disgusting," Jennifer Fatzinger, a Democratic political commentator with more than 11,000 followers, wrote on X.

"Newsom's 2028 numbers have been falling the last few months, but with Trump seeking to prosecute him those numbers are bound to go back up," politics and culture writer Nick Field wrote on X.

"What a petty little man-baby Donald is. He constantly lies and wraps himself in a cloack [SIC] of victimhood. But his number one focus, besides his ballroom and momuments [SIC], is weaponizing every branch of government against people who stand up to him," progressive political commentator Janice Hough, who has more than 37,000 followers, wrote on X.

Former Trump administration White House attorney Ty Cobb was not at all shocked on Monday to hear reports that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is under federal investigation — but was saddened at the state of the Justice Department.

"I'm not surprised that [Newsom] would announce it," Cobb told MS NOW's Katy Tur, responding to the official video announcement from his office. "I think that's a smart move. There's no reason to hide it."

Cobb added that the fact that the investigation exists at all is predictable, too, noting that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth opened a probe into Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) — also frequently discussed as a presidential candidate — over his participation in a video reminding troops they can refuse illegal orders. "Newsom's a potential presidential candidate. I think most presidential candidates, just like most presidential candidates, should expect that they will be met with abuses of this sort."

Tur soon followed up by asking Cobb how acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has achieved such a political stranglehold over the rank and file in federal law enforcement. "Why do they go along with what appeared to be political, the political retribution that Donald Trump desires?"

"That's an excellent question," said Cobb. "I think it's sad, obviously."

The issue, he argued, happened with Blanche's predecessor, Pam Bondi, who "made it clear early on in the Great Hall of Justice that she was dedicating her role and her office and her entire department to serving Trump, not the Constitution." And Blanche has continued this on, said Cobb, from his prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey to his involvement in the $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization" slush fund to pay out Trump's allies who were criminally charged in the past.

"I think this is really a tragedy that we have such a lack of character among public servants these days," Cobb added. "And hopefully some will come forward with courage and with integrity."

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A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress went down on takeoff at Edwards Air Force Base, with emergency crews responding and the situation ongoing.

The crash was reported at about 11:20 a.m. at the base in California's Mojave Desert, roughly 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Edwards Air Force Base confirmed the incident and said crews had immediately responded to the scene.

No information on crew status or casualties has been released.

The B-52 is a long-range bomber used for a variety of military missions, capable of subsonic speeds and altitudes of 50,000 feet. It was a workhorse of Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and has been the backbone of the United States' bomber force for decades.

The base said more information will be provided as it becomes available.

Vice President JD Vance confirmed in a CBS interview, Iran could access a $300 billion reconstruction fund as part of the U.S. and Iran peace agreement, funded by the Gulf Cooperation Council Coalition.

Vance argued, Tehran hard-liners would emphasize benefits while downplaying required concessions on nuclear programs and oversight.

The revelation sparked immediate criticism on social media.

University of Wisconsin-Madison statistics professor Karl Rohe noted, "Can we talk about the scale of problems that are going to arise from spending 300 billion? This is 500%-600% larger than the entire annual budget of the Iranian govt. It is one year of Iranian GDP *of the ENTIRE COUNTRY.* This is insane."

Analysts highlighted the contradiction with President Donald Trump's earlier claims that Iran would receive no money.

"We are going to pay Iran $300 billion to rebuild from the war we started. Wrap your head around that when they claim that Trump is a master negotiator," Fred Wellman, a U.S. Army veteran and Lincoln Project communications strategist, wrote on X.

Critics characterized the reconstruction fund as significantly exceeding Obama-era concessions to Iran.

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