"One thing that I think we're going to try to do, with your support, is tax 100% anyone from California that receives any of those funds," Newsom said during a news conference in his office. "And that's an action the state of California can take. It's an action we look forward to taking."
The Justice Department announced the creation of the so-called "Anti-Weaponization Fund" that could pay settlements to those claiming "victimization" by the government, a group that could include rioters from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Bipartisan backlash to the fund's announcement has grown since its announcement.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Republican senators at the Capitol last week to try to quell the backlash over the fund, but sources told ABC News that the meeting was tense, with some allies to President Donald Trump speaking out against it and one telling Blanche, "You created this s--- sandwich, you got to figure it out."
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Asked by CNN about the possibility of those people receiving payments from the fund on Wednesday, Blanche replied, "People that hurt police get money all the time." But Blanche then added it would be "abhorrent to ever, ever touch a law enforcement officer" and said it as "a completely different question with whether an individual is allowed to apply for a claim" and "whether they'll get a claim."
He said the day before in a Senate committee hearing that while Jan. 6 rioters could apply for money, there was no guarantee they would receive a payment.
Newsom also signed legislation Wednesday that aims to shield California elections from federal interference.
The governor, who cannot seek a third term, said the election law is a response to "legitimate anxiety" about Trump's tactics, primarily in Democratic-led states, where the president has deployed federal agents over the objections of local leaders. Newsom warned against underestimating someone who "doesn't believe in free and fair elections."
"I expect the worst with Trump because he's done the worst," he said at the news conference.
ABC News contributed to this report.