Republicans on the House Oversight Committee have announced a probe into Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom's response to protests and riots over the past week. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and Representative Clay Higgins of Louisiana,

The governor highlighted his work with ICE in California but said that President Trump was “trying to gin things up to create problems” at protests.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is meeting the moment, Democrats say. Amid the growing storm over the Trump administration’s response to protests of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

After eight years as lieutenant-governor, in 2018 he was elected to California’s top job. He breezed past a recall effort in 2021 (which tried to capitalise on Mr Newsom’s visit to the French Laundry, a posh restaurant in Napa Valley, during covid lockdowns) and won re-election in 2022.

Newsom eliminated funds for health programs centered around LGBTQ+ youth, women, and transgender people last month.

The House Oversight Committee is investigating the protests in Los Angeles, sending letters to the top Democratic officials involved in the response.

A new Public Policy Institute of California poll for June revealed a decline in support for Gov. Gavin Newsom, while President Donald Trump’s lower approval rating remained mostly unchanged.

An escalating clash pits a Republican president looking to fulfill his mass deportation goals against a Democratic governor with White House aspirations hoping to mobilize opposition.