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Press Office For Governor Referred For Investigation Over Social Media Post
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Press Office For Governor Referred For Investigation Over Social Media Post

In the days following the shocking assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk on September 10, there was a brief window — a flicker, really — where some Democrats signaled a desire to tone down the rhetoric. They issued statements condemning violence and calling for civility. But that moment came and went like a summer storm. What followed has been a return to form — a doubling down on the same vitriol, dehumanization, and political gaslighting that fueled the toxic environment in the first place.


Let’s start with the House resolution to honor Kirk and condemn political violence. You’d think this would be a no-brainer — a simple, bipartisan acknowledgment that assassinating someone for their views is wrong. But 58 Democrats voted against it. Let that sink in. Not abstained. Not left the floor. They voted no. Among them was Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who chose the moment not to mourn, not to unify, but to smear the deceased, doubling down on slander from the House floor.

Even moderate Democrats couldn’t stomach it. Former Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin blasted the behavior, calling it a clear symptom of what’s driving his party into irrelevance. And he's right. If your party can't unite to oppose political murder, you're not just failing politically — you’re failing morally.

But the tone-deafness didn’t stop there.


Enter Gavin Newsom’s Press Office, which apparently decided the political climate wasn’t volatile enough. In a now-infamous post, the office targeted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem with a message that many perceived as threatening — especially in the wake of an armed man being detained at Kirk’s memorial site, the ABC station shooting, and aggressive anti-ICE actions across the state.

The backlash was swift — and deserved.

Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli referred the matter to the Secret Service for a full threat assessment. Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin didn’t mince words, calling the post “ugly” and blasting Newsom’s team for their cowardice. “Your keyboard warrior team may hide behind their laptops and spew this kind of vitriol, but you would never have the guts to say this to her face,” she said.


Secretary Noem herself confirmed that the post caused alarm. Her family reached out, asking if she was safe. That’s not political theater. That’s fear. And it didn’t come from some fringe activist — it came from the official communications arm of the California Governor’s office.

So how did Newsom’s team follow that up? With a clumsy pivot — posting hours later about legislation they claim would “protect immigrant communities” and “hold Trump accountable.” The bill includes a provision banning law enforcement from wearing masks — a direct attack on federal agents, who wear masks precisely because they’re being doxxed and threatened. In this political climate, such legislation doesn’t “protect” anyone. It endangers the very people who are tasked with protecting the rest of us.


Newsom’s office can try to spin this all they want, but the reality is clear: this isn’t governance. It’s ideological theater. They’ll lecture law enforcement about face coverings, while turning a blind eye to Antifa and anti-ICE radicals who routinely show up masked and armed. It’s not about principle. It’s about power.

Written by Arthur Higgens - September 22, 2025