Fact Check: Is California's US attorney investigating Newsom and Adam Schiff for election fraud?

WASHINGTON, DC: A viral post on X claims that federal election fraud investigations in California have shifted their focus to Governor Gavin Newsom and Senator Adam Schiff, accusing them of helping undocumented immigrants register to vote.

The claim cites ongoing probes led by First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli, who has confirmed several FBI-coordinated election fraud investigations. Let’s fact-check the claim.

Claim: Federal fraud probes are targeting Gavin Newsom and Adam Schiff

A viral X post is attracting attention with claims that ongoing federal election fraud investigations in California have expanded to target Governor Gavin Newsom and Senator Adam Schiff.

The post claimed that "Bill Essayli, the California US Attorney who has been zealously investigating alleged widespread voter fraud across The Golden State that took place in the recently held primary election, has reportedly shifted the focus of his probe to the highest Democratic elected officials in the state including Governor Gavin Newsom and disgraced US Senator Adam Schiff for their alleged leadership roles in rigging California elections."

It further alleged that "Newsom and Schiff are being looked at for violations of multiple federal statutes pertaining to elections" and are accused of being "ringleaders of a systemic effort to steal elections in California by providing financial incentives for illegal aliens to register to vote."

The post also claimed that Newsom automatically registered undocumented immigrants to vote when they applied for government assistance or obtained a driver's license.

The post went on to allege that the two politicians "conspired with a laundry list of the most prominent Democrat politicians in California to illegally register millions of undocumented migrants to vote in California so that a Republican candidate can never win another statewide election."

It concluded by claiming that they are "likely facing serious federal indictments that could land them behind bars for years."

Fact Check: False, No evidence to back the viral claim

The claim made in the X post is unsupported. Bill Essayli has confirmed that his office and the FBI are investigating possible election fraud linked to California's June 2026 primary election.

He has stated that there is evidence of voter fraud, pointed to weaknesses in California's mail-in voting and voter verification systems, and said that charges could be filed within the next one or two months after election results are certified.

His office has also encouraged the public to submit tips and has advocated for audits of voter rolls.

However, there is no public evidence that the investigations are targeting Governor Gavin Newsom or Senator Adam Schiff. Essayli has not named either official as a subject of the probes, nor has he alleged that they were involved in a conspiracy to rig elections.

While he has criticized California's election system and previously referred to Newsom as the "king of fraud" in discussions about homelessness spending, he did not make that comment in relation to voter registration or election fraud.

In short, election-related investigations are underway in California, and debate over the state's voting system continues.

However, there is no evidence supporting the viral claim that Newsom and Schiff led a scheme to register millions of undocumented immigrants to vote or that they are facing imminent federal indictments as of June 16, 2026.