California Governor Gavin Newsom has faced criticism over his retort to a prominent MAGA figure who pledged to expose fraudulent activities in the state.

The critique was aimed at Benny Johnson, a right-wing pundit, who announced on Tuesday his intentions to visit California with his team to probe claims of systemic fraud.

Johnson asserted on social media that the malpractice discovered in Minnesota severely impacted Tim Walz’s political career, suggesting that California’s issues under Newsom were significantly more severe. He stressed the importance of showcasing how alleged fraudulent practices in California are financially draining the nation.

In a sharp comeback to these accusations, Newsom, a Democrat, dismissed the conservative influencer with a provocative comment.

In response to Johnson’s claims, the Democrat lawmaker mocked the conservative influencer with a lewd jibe. 

‘We’ll make sure Grindr servers are ready…’ Newsom’s press office said on X.

Grindr is a gay dating app with about 15 million active users per month.

Last month, Johnson pledged to sue controversial provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos after he accused him of being gay. 

Johnson is married to Kate Johnson, a nurse. The couple have four kids together. She celebrated their wedding anniversary last month, writing: ‘Nine years and 4 babies later and I love you more than I thought possible. Happy Anniversary, my love. You are the best of men.’ 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sparked criticism after his press office said ‘we’ll make sure Grindr servers are ready…’ at MAGA influencer Benny Johnson

The California governor’s bizarre quip was met with criticism on social media, which rapidly blasted his response.

‘Newsom backed so far in a corner defending wasting taxpayer money his office is now making gay jokes on Twitter,’ one user said. ‘We deserve better politicians who care about results.’

Another user on X weighed in and called Newsom’s comments ‘stupid.’

‘You should be asking whistleblowers to DM you any fraud in the state — not trying to out/kink shame or whatever this juvenile tweet is,’ he said.

Others took issue with Newsom, a longtime supporter of gay and lesbian rights, referencing Johnson’s sexuality.

‘Why does their sexual orientation matter?’ one user asked.

Another said: ‘Just a little light homophobia to own the conservatives.’

Newsom’s jibe was also considered a change of tone from leading Democrat officials.

One user wrote: ‘It’s unfortunate it’s not 2021 anymore. Gavin Newsom’s office would’ve cancelled Gavin Newsom’s office.’

Another online commenter weighed in by saying that Newsom’s post was ‘not very woke.’

On Tuesday, Johnson announced that he would be traveling to California ‘next week’ to visit what he called ‘the fraud capital of the world.’

He cited alleged mismanagement of funds, which supposedly included $70billion lost in taxpayer funds, $24billion spent on ‘non–existent’ homelessness programs and $18billion used on a stalled high–speed rail project.

Johnson also claimed that $32billion in COVID–19 relief funds had been ‘stolen’ and that $2.5billion were ‘lost’ to SNAP fraud.

He pointed to how ‘billions spent on rebuilding after the Palisades fires’ resulted in ‘no homes built’, as well.

‘The American taxpayers are p***ed,’ Johnson added. ‘We fight for them.’

Newsom’s press office previously responded to Johnson’s claim that $70 billion had been lost and claimed that description was ‘false.’

‘The State Auditor’s ‘high–risk’ list does NOT cite billions in current losses,’ the account said. ‘It’s a report to flag programs for added oversight BEFORE potential fraud occurs.’

Johnson alleged that ‘Gavin Newsom’s California is far worse’ than Minnesota when it came to fraud

The post added: ‘California PROSECUTES fraud — arresting 929 people and recovering $5.9 billion in unemployment fraud alone.’

Johnson’s claim that $24 billion was spent on ‘non–existent’ homelessness programs appeared to reference a 2023 report assessing their effectiveness.

The report said that money was allocated from 2018 to 2023, but that the programs had not been ‘consistently tracked and evaluated.’

The ‘stolen’ COVID–19 relief funds that Johnson was pointing to seemed to cite a Lexis Nexis data analysis that claimed about $32.6billion in fraudulent money could have been paid out in California.

Johnson’s claims about California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) being used for fraud were previously echoed by Congresswoman Young Kim, a Republican, last month.

She asked Newsom to start a ‘thorough investigation into fraud’ and ‘to ensure illegal aliens are not prioritized over Californians and that vital food services reach California’s most vulnerable communities for whom the program was intended.’

The Pacific Palisades fire hit about 9,000 homes but only about one third have started rebuilding to any extent, according to The Wall Street Journal.

After announcing his trip to California, Johnson then claimed he had received more than 250 emails ‘from California state employees and public officials with detailed fraud evidence’

In a follow–up post, Johnson claimed that he had received more than 250 emails ‘from California state employees and public officials with detailed fraud evidence.’

He added: ‘This trip is going to be epic.’

The MAGA influencer’s announcement happened less than an hour after Donald Trump said his administration would be looking into the alleged fraud happening in the west coast state.

Trump posted on Truth Social: ‘California, under Governor Gavin Newscum, is more corrupt than Minnesota, if that’s possible???’

‘The Fraud Investigation of California has begun,’ he added.

The US president did not immediately provide more details about who or what was being investigated.

Federal prosecutor Bill Essayli, the first assistant US attorney in the Central District of California, said Tuesday that additional fraud charges were expected.

‘We’ve already charged millions in fraud related to California’s homeless spending,’ he wrote on X. ‘Much more to come very soon.’