Nick Shirley blasts ‘sick’ Newsom over alleged smear after exposing daycare fraud

GRAPEVINE, TEXAS: Independent journalist and YouTuber Nick Shirley launched a scathing attack on Gavin Newsom during his speech at CPAC on Thursday, March 26, accusing the California governor of trying to smear him after his fraud investigations.

Shirley, who has gained national attention for exposing alleged daycare fraud, framed the issue as part of a broader pattern where, according to him, exposing wrongdoing is being turned into controversy.

Nick Shirley calls Newsom 'a sick governor'

Shirley didn’t hold back as he described what he sees as a troubling shift in public discourse.

“Sometimes, a lot of times non-controversial issues are becoming controversial inside of America,” he said, before listing examples: “If you take a look at the idea of deporting illegal migrants, that word is illegal. That should not be controversial. Or the idea that showing your ID to vote has become controversial. That’s not controversial either.”

He continued, building his argument, saying, “The idea that fraud is bad has become controversial. How is that controversial? I know a little bit about fraud. I know a little bit about Minnesota daycares as well.”

Turning directly to Newsom, Shirley accused him of launching a personal attack.

“Gavin Newsom, he posted a photo of me the other day, an AI-generated image saying, ‘Where are the kids?’ trying to depict me as a problematic person for exposing fraud.”

“How sick does a governor have to be to say that the kid exposing the fraud is the bad person versus the fraudsters who are stealing the money?”

Shirley also questioned why exposing wrongdoing leads to backlash instead of support.

“Shouldn’t they be excited to know that the fraud is being exposed?” he asked, before adding, “It seems to be that most of the fraud is in a lot of these blue cities. And when you go out and expose the fraud…”

Describing the personal toll, Shirley said, “Now I have to walk around with security when I go to cities… last time I was in California,” adding, “That’s crazy to think that we live in a society nowadays where somebody doing a big public service for the country has to worry for their life.”

Gavin Newsom's attack against Shirley

Nick Shirley rose to prominence after releasing a viral investigation in Minnesota alleging fraud in state-funded daycare programs, before continuing similar work in California.

His reporting quickly gained traction online, but also drew backlash from political figures.

Newsom’s office responded by sharing a satirical, AI-generated image showing a man with multiple cameras at a daycare alongside the caption, “Hey, can I see your kids?”, a move that Shirley and his supporters saw as an attempt to mock and discredit his work.

The clash has since evolved into a larger political flashpoint, with Shirley positioning himself as a whistleblower under attack and Newsom’s response fueling debate over how far public officials should go in responding to critics.