Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), the poster politician for blanket lockdowns, mask mandates, and school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced he has commissioned a lengthy report on how his administration handled the situation.

Newsom, an early Democratic front-runner for the 2028 presidential nomination, was criticized heavily for his extreme response to COVID-19. His office told KCRA 3 that the report, which is expected to be 1,000 pages long, has been underway for years and is being compiled by the California Health and Human Services Agency with the help of “independent experts.” Neither Newsom nor his office named the “independent experts.”

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Newsom, who has been spending quite a bit of time on podcasts with conservative-leaning hosts lately, announced the news on the Shawn Ryan Show. Ryan, a former Navy SEAL, discusses topics such as transgender matters, the pandemic, and gun control on his hourslong podcast. Newsom opened up about the report after Ryan read a question submitted by fellow podcaster Joe Rogan about Newsom’s vaccine requirement for children in school.

“None of us have really reviewed in an objective way,” Newsom said about the state and nation’s pandemic-related responses. “It’s all through the lens of politics, what we did right and what we did wrong.”

Critics have slammed Newsom’s pandemic “review” and said it’s less about learning from the past and more about Newsom’s future.

In an opinion piece for the Orange County Register, Dr. Houman Hemmati wrote that the move was a “desperate bid to rewrite history.”

“We don’t need his handpicked experts or cronies poring over decisions he himself made,” Hemmati said. “That’s like asking a fox to investigate why the henhouse is empty. What we desperately need is a fully independent truth and reconciliation commission—impartial, transparent, and empowered to hold accountable those who turned a public health crisis into a parade of power grabs and hypocrisy.”

Hemmati said warnings about such severe reactions rang out from the beginning, but they “fell on deaf ears in Sacramento.” Hemmati also faulted Newsom for keeping schools closed for more than a year and for the “economic carnage” from that decision.

“People were essentially imprisoned in their homes, yet Newsom had the gall to dine mask-free at French Laundry with lobbyists,” Hemmati said. “Photos of that infamous 2020 dinner party exposed the raw hypocrisy: rules for thee, but not for me. He partied with the elite while the rest of us suffered, our livelihoods evaporating. And now, in that same podcast, he sheepishly admits shutting down beaches and parks was a ‘very bad idea in retrospect.”

He added, “Retrospect? We knew it then! Forcing people away from fresh air and exercise during a respiratory virus outbreak was idiocy on steroids, yet he doubled down, turning California into a cautionary tale of overreach. This isn’t just about past mistakes; it’s about preventing future ones. Newsom’s panel allegedly ‘stress-testing’ his own policies is a biased joke that will inevitably conclude with a pat on the back and maybe a few token apologies. We’ve seen this playbook before — politicians investigating themselves always end in self-absolution.”

Jeff Le, former deputy cabinet secretary to former Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown, also raised doubt about how accurate a report commissioned by Newsom on Newsom could be.

“Governor Newsom’s COVID-19 report on his administration’s response represents some steps forward on learnings that the state can address for future pandemics and black swan disasters,” Le told the Washington Examiner. “However, one could argue that others beyond a body of independent experts in partnership with the California Health and Human Services Agency may need additional feedback and substantive assessments from other entities.”

Le said that to “add some distance and potential conflicts of interest,” Newsom “could have also requested that the State Legislature’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, or the California State Auditor present independent findings.”

“Addressing the past head-on may help the governor move forward, craft clearer messaging on the state’s response, particularly on failures at the school level, as he contemplates higher office and tests national waters,” Le added.

It’s unclear exactly when the report will be released, but Newsom’s office said it would be some time in August.

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA), who sued Newsom during the pandemic for what he said was an overreach of power, called the outgoing governor’s announcement politically motivated.

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“Obviously, the governor is doing everything he can to position himself to run for President, and he probably knows this is something that’s going to come under a great deal of scrutiny,” Kiley said.

He added, “We have seen very negative repercussions that linger to this day when it comes to our students falling behind in school, when it comes to small businesses that have closed, permanently, that were really community treasures, that aren’t there anymore. When it comes to the mental health and development of our young people. And at the end of the day, you’ve gotta ask the question, what good did it do?”