California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom had yet another public meltdown this week — this time over the Department of Justice’s decision to monitor the upcoming November state elections in California and New Jersey. The DOJ move, prompted by Republican concerns about irregularities in key counties, sent Newsom into full panic mode, with the governor accusing President Trump’s Justice Department of “voter intimidation.”
The irony, of course, is that federal election monitors have been standard practice for decades — including under Democratic presidents — and not once did anyone on the left call it “intimidation.” Yet Newsom, apparently desperate to create another anti-Trump headline, took to social media to portray the DOJ’s actions as some sort of coup against California’s “sovereignty.”
“Donald Trump’s puppet DOJ has no business screwing around with next month’s election,” Newsom ranted on X (formerly Twitter). “Sending the feds into California polling places is a deliberate attempt to scare off voters and undermine a fair election. We will not back down. Californians decide our future — no one else.”
It was a bizarre outburst from a man whose own state has been plagued by allegations of ballot harvesting, questionable voter rolls, and lax ID laws. Critics quickly pointed out that if Newsom has nothing to hide, he should welcome additional oversight to ensure the integrity of California’s elections.
Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general and a longtime defender of election transparency, responded with a dose of humor and reality. “Lol calm down bro,” she posted on X. “The Justice Department under Democrat administrations has sent in federal election observers for decades, and not once did we hear that this was voter intimidation from states such as California. Do you really want to go there? Isn’t transparency a good thing?”
That response instantly went viral, with conservatives applauding Dhillon for putting Newsom in his place. Others piled on. Dr. Houman Hemmati asked, “Hey @GavinNewsom, WHY would any legitimate voter be ‘scared off’ by having federal election observers? Most people think legitimate voters would be more likely to vote because they’d trust the process. But clearly you’re afraid of something. I wonder what that is…”
Even law enforcement joined the mockery. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco cut straight to the point: “Gavin sure seems worried about people seeing how he’s handling elections.”
Behind the scenes, California Republicans have formally requested the DOJ monitoring, citing credible reports of irregularities in several counties. Corrin Rankin, chair of the California GOP, wrote to the Justice Department, “In recent elections, we have received reports of irregularities in these counties that we fear will undermine either the willingness of voters to participate in the election or their confidence in the announced results.”
Over in New Jersey, the reaction was much the same. Democrat Attorney General Matt Platkin fumed that DOJ monitoring was “highly inappropriate” — a statement many observers viewed as a thinly veiled admission that his state’s election system can’t stand up to scrutiny.
In stark contrast, Los Angeles County Clerk Dean Logan attempted to project calm, assuring voters that ballots “are handled securely and counted accurately.” But that reassurance didn’t stop the embarrassment for Newsom, who now looks like a man terrified of transparency.
At the end of the day, one question lingers: if Gavin Newsom truly believes his elections are clean and fair, why is he so afraid of anyone watching?
