Musk Drag Triggers DOJ Cloud Over Newsom

A speaker at a press conference with multiple microphones in front of them

California Governor Gavin Newsom tried to shame Elon Musk on social media — and reality TV star Spencer Pratt fired back with a single line that stopped Newsom cold.

Story Snapshot

Newsom attacked Musk publicly, accusing him of supporting election denialism and turning his back on California after the LA wildfires.
Spencer Pratt — whose own Pacific Palisades home burned down in the fires — clapped back hard, pointing out that California can’t build one foot of high-speed rail despite spending $120 billion.
Pratt has been a vocal critic of Newsom’s wildfire response and traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with top federal officials about the disaster.
Newsom is already under a Department of Justice investigation that he calls politically motivated — a cloud hanging over his likely 2028 presidential ambitions.

Newsom Takes a Swing at Musk — and Misses

Governor Newsom went after Elon Musk on social media, accusing him of supporting election denialism and “turning his back” on California after the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. It was meant to put Musk on defense. Instead, it handed Spencer Pratt an opening. Pratt, a reality TV personality who lost his home in the Pacific Palisades fire, responded with a sharp line about California’s $120 billion high-speed rail project — a project that has yet to complete a single foot of track.

Pratt’s comeback landed hard online because it pointed to something many Californians already feel. The state has spent enormous sums of public money with little to show for it. Musk, whatever his faults, actually builds things. The contrast was difficult for Newsom to shake. When a governor tries to shame a billionaire for failing California, voters may ask what the governor himself has delivered.

Pratt’s Fight With Newsom Goes Deeper Than a Tweet

This exchange was not Pratt’s first clash with Newsom. After losing his home in the fires, Pratt became one of the loudest public critics of both Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. In August 2025, he flew to Washington, D.C. for a three-day visit, meeting with top federal officials — including Attorney General Pam Bondi — to discuss the wildfire response and what he called a failure of leadership in California. He has also claimed to have “shocking details” that could implicate both officials in the handling of fire relief funds.

Pratt has alleged that fire aid money was mishandled and that his campaign office was burned down days after he went public with his accusations. Those claims have not been independently verified, and no charges have been filed based on his statements. Still, his willingness to go to Washington and sit with federal officials gave his criticism a platform far beyond celebrity gossip. He is now running for Los Angeles mayor, making this a political fight as much as a personal one.

Newsom’s DOJ Problem Looms Over Everything

While Newsom was busy attacking Musk, he was also dealing with a much bigger problem at home. Newsom publicly announced that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has been investigating him and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom. He called it a politically motivated probe ordered by President Trump. His office accused the DOJ of “searching for a crime that does not exist” after investigators reportedly found no evidence of wrongdoing in an earlier phase of the inquiry.

🚨 SPENCER PRATT SLAMS NEWSOM: "Can't Build 1 Foot of Train Tracks With $120 BILLION"😂

Gavin Newsom attacking Elon Musk? The guy who wasted $120 BILLION and 7 years with ZERO train track progress trying to trash the man landing rockets backwards and catching them with…

— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) July 13, 2026

Newsom demanded records from the DOJ and said Trump placed him on a political “hit list.” The DOJ has not publicly confirmed or denied the investigation. As of late June 2026, neither Newsom nor his wife had been subpoenaed. Sources told CBS News that at least one investigation had been underway for about a year, starting as a whistleblower complaint. Newsom’s office argues that Trump’s political appointees pushed investigators to build a case against him because he is a likely rival in the 2028 presidential race.

Why This Matters Beyond the Drama

Strip away the celebrity angle and you have a story that touches on concerns shared across the political divide. On one side, conservatives see a powerful Democratic governor who presided over deadly wildfires, a failed rail project, and skyrocketing costs — now trying to deflect by attacking Musk. On the other side, liberals worry about a president using the DOJ to target political opponents. Both concerns are legitimate. Both deserve honest scrutiny. What’s harder to defend is a governor attacking a tech billionaire for “turning his back” on a state that has struggled to deliver basic results for its own residents.