Newsom’s Tax Return Bait-and-Switch Threatens Democracy
California Governor Gavin Newsom allowed only select journalists to view his tax returns behind closed doors without copies, excluding independent media in what critics call a sham transparency exercise.
According to New York Post, Newsom allowed only a select group of handpicked journalists to view his tax returns behind closed doors on Thursday. The chosen outlets—KCRA, the Associated Press, The New York Times, and Politico—were permitted only to take notes before publishing their findings under embargo at 10 a.m. Friday.
The California Post, which led the campaign demanding Newsom release his tax returns, was deliberately excluded from the viewing, the outlet reports.
The move exposes stark hypocrisy from a governor who spent years attacking President Trump for not releasing tax returns, only to delay doing so himself. Now Newsom seeks credit for transparency while controlling exactly what the public can see and which media outlets get access.
Izzy Gardon, who manages Newsom’s “@GovPressOffice” account on X, claimed the governor was the first Governor in California history to publicly release tax returns covering every year of his tenure in office.
That characterization is misleading. Rather than releasing returns annually as they became available, Newsom waited until now to release four years of returns all at once.
Federal Investigation and Presidential Ambitions
The timing appears calculated. Newsom and his wife, “First Partner” Jennifer Siebel Newsom, are reportedly under federal investigation concerning her taxes, as New York Post reports.
Additionally, Newsom is expected to launch his 2028 presidential campaign immediately following this year’s midterm elections. The controlled tax return viewing appears designed to create an impression for primary voters that he has nothing to hide—despite years of concealing these very documents.
Attack on Press Freedom
The staged event represents a violation of public trust and an assault on the free press, critics charge. Newsom has repeatedly accused President Trump of threatening press freedom by favoring certain media outlets over others, yet his own actions mirror precisely that behavior.
If the governor genuinely has nothing to hide, the solution is straightforward: release the tax documents directly to the public for unrestricted review, rather than staging controlled viewings for friendly media outlets.
With information from New York Post
