House Republican lawmakers have launched an investigation into how California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D) have handled the violent riots against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the L.A. area.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) and Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement Chairman Clay Higgins (R., La.) opened an investigation into Newsom and Bass’s lax approach to the riots. Both Newsom and Bass strongly opposed President Trump’s decision to send the national guard in to quell the violence, insisting that local authorities had the situation under control.
“In response to this violence, on June 8, 2025, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and [Governor Newsom] protested President Trump’s action to quell the violence caused by the rioters in Los Angeles, even resorting to falsely blaming him for the actions of violent rioters,” the lawmakers wrote to Newsom.
“You falsely claimed that state and local law enforcement had protests under control, however, police were clearly unable to quell the violence in Los Angeles prior to the arrival of the National Guardsmen.”
One day after Trump deployed 2,000 National Guardsmen to the city, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell admitted that his officers were “overwhelmed” by the scale of the riots.
The lawmakers made similar assertions in a letter to Bass about her response to the riots.The Republican lawmakers also noted Newsom and Bass’s support for sanctuary city policies to prevent local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.
Comer and Higgins are seeking communications between Newsom and Bass about the riots, and communications between their respective offices and state and local law enforcement. In addition, the congressmen are requesting Newsom and Bass’s respective communications with federal authorities and all records related to the sources of the weapons used by rioters.
Comer and Higgins also wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel seeking documents related to acts of violence against law enforcement in California and the law enforcement response to the riots.
Separately, House Oversight Committee Republicans are investigating billionaire Neville Singham, a far-left backer of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, one of the main groups organizing the anti-ICE riots, Singham is a resident of China suspected of having ties to the Chinese Communist Party. He funds other far-left organizations including Code Pink and the lawmakers believe he is doing so through a dark money network of non-profit front groups.
President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quickly federalized the national guard and sent 2,000 troops to L.A. after riots broke out last week in response to ICE enforcement operations in the area. The rioters committed acts of violence including assaulting and impeding law enforcement, shutting down traffic, damaging government vehicles, burning self driving Waymo cars, and acts of vandalism.
Trump and Hegseth have activated 4,000 national guardsmen and 700 Marines to assist ICE with law enforcement operations and prevent the rioting from getting out of hand. Earlier this week, Bass imposed a curfew on downtown Los Angeles to temper the riots and counteract widespread looting in the area amid the chaos.
Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) have sued to stop Trump from using the national guard, even though the violent riots overwhelmed local law enforcement. A federal judge sided with California Thursday night but an appeals court quickly held up the judge’s order while it reviews the case, granting Trump the ability to use the national guard for the time being.