Gavin Newsom’s Former Chief of Staff…WHUT? And He Knew

Oh, there’s nobody who knows an official like their chief of staff. And there is no one an official is closer to than their chief of staff.

They work hand in glove.

So while people might have been mildly surprised a year ago when California Governor Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff Dana Williamson resigned a year or so ago, the greasy gov gave her a handsome and glowing send-off.

Dana Williamson, who as chief of staff to Gavin Newsom served as his enforcer at the Capitol and a top liaison to powerful labor unions and business interests across California, has departed the governor’s office. Her last day was Friday.

Williamson — described by Newsom aides and allies as his “political assassin” in Sacramento — will be replaced by Nathan Barankin, another veteran of California politics who recently joined the governor’s office after spending years as a political consultant and an adviser to Kamala Harris. His first day in the new role is Monday.

“I greatly appreciate Dana’s counsel and her service to the state and the people of California over the last two years. Her insight, tenacity, and big heart will be missed,” Newsom said in a statement.

He bid ‘farewell’ to his ‘fighter’ before turning to laud her replacement.

All cuddly, cozy, and warm, no?

As it turns out, there were a few undercurrents running beneath the surface of that bon homie and fond farewell performance that have only recently – and jarringly – come to light. Politico discovered that Newsom had actually put his nearest and dearest aide on leave a month before that, after discovering she was under federal criminal investigation. She left of her own accord the next month.

Newsom never bothered to tell anyone about any of the circumstances that precipitated Williamson’s departure, which worked out for all concerned until she wound up indicted for corruption yesterday.

YOICKS

Gov. Gavin Newsom put his former chief on leave when he learned a year ago that she was under criminal investigation, according to his office.

Dana Williamson, who was indicted on public corruption charges Wednesday, was interviewed by the FBI in November 2024, while still working as Newsom’s top aide. She left the governor’s office a month later.

…Newsom had known for a month that Williamson had been questioned by the FBI. When she informed him in November, he immediately placed her on leave, and she officially left the administration in December.

The indictment alleges that Williamson made multiple false statements in her interview with the feds, an act that is among one of the 23 charges she now faces.

She pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to all charges, which include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud. Williamson is accused, along with two other California consultants, of fraudulently transferring money from a dormant campaign account belonging to Xavier Becerra, now a gubernatorial candidate.

The indictment alleges Williamson and a former Becerra aide led Becerra to believe the money was being used for campaign consulting expenses. In a statement, Becerra called the formal charges a “gut punch” and said he had voluntarily cooperated with the investigation.

So, hang on – Xavier Becerra, the former Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Biden, who is now running for governor? His chief of staff was in on this, too?

That’s an affirmative.

…A news release from the U.S. Department of Justice states that between February 2022 and September 2024, Williamson conspired to steal about $225,000 in funds from a dormant political campaign to another person’s account for personal use. She was among multiple people arrested in connection with the case.

Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra confirmed the theft had targeted his campaign funds.

Court documents obtained by KCRA 3 listed Sean McCluskie as a co-conspirator who received the funds. At the time, he was chief of staff for Becerra, who is identified in the indictment as “Public Official 1.”

“The news today of formal accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted advisor are a gut punch,” Becerra said in a statement to KCRA 3.

…The 23-count indictment stated that McCluskie had worked with Becerra for many years. When he entered federal office, federal ethics rules prohibited him from actively engaging in campaign-related activities, so he allowed his state campaign account from when he was California’s attorney general to become dormant.

Becerra moved those funds to a new campaign account for a future campaign and delegated responsibility to McCluskie for arranging the dormant accounts to be monitored and overseen by a third party.

The indictment says that McCluskie talked about a “desire to have more money while continuing to work as Chief of Staff to Public Official 1.”

WOWSAHS

Now, naturally, Ms Williamson’s attorney is ‘blasting’ the political ‘grandstanding’ of the Trump Department of Justice, charging and indicting his client. She’s obviously the victim here, right?

But there’s an interesting tidbit at the beginning of the article, which her lawyer relates that makes you wonder if something more isn’t fixing to hit the fan, and maybe that relates to why Newsom never let slip that his number one gal was under criminal investigation.

It turns out that the BIDEN DoJ was already very interested in Gov Randall Flagg-Lite…for some reason. And they were asking questions Ms WIlliamson wouldn’t answer.

The attorney for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s embattled former chief ripped her arrest on Wednesday as “grandstanding” by the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump.

McGregor Scott, who has represented Dana Williamson for two years, told POLITICO that the longtime Sacramento power player was asked by the FBI last year, during the Biden administration, to assist with an investigation into Newsom. She declined because “she had no information to give them or offer them because she had not seen any misconduct by the governor of any kind,” Scott said.

Oh, hello.

For her part, this week’s weaponized justice victim didn’t have much to say to reporters when she left the courthouse yesterday.

Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff Dana Williamson didn’t have a lot to say about Gavin Newsom or Xavier Becerra when she left federal court today
pic.twitter.com/0z99XGcVUj https://t.co/jIpXYhxRDQ

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) November 13, 2025

There are others caught up in this unsavory cash grab, and, according to this report, one of the principals has already pleaded guilty and is cooperating.

Becerra’s former chief of staff, McCluskie, is talking. I wonder what beans he’s spilling?

Dana Williamson, Gov. Newsom’s former Chief of Staff, who stepped down in December last year, was indicted by federal officials today, charged with corruption.  Also cited in the indictment were Democratic consultant Greg Campbell, Sean McCluskie, former Chief of Staff to Xavier Becerra, McCluskie’s spouse, and an unnamed former public official, identified by Calmatters as Alexis Podesta, a former secretary at the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. Her attorney says she is not charged and is cooperating with investigators.

…It was revealed today that Campbell and McCluskie pled guilty last week to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and are cooperating with investigators.

Williamson is coming off as a complete peach. Not only is she accused of the Becerra scam, but she also apparently had a PPP loan that she was trying to wriggle out of, too.

…Additionally, federal officials charge that Williamson colluded with Campbell to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by filing false claims to qualify for loan forgiveness.

The indictment quotes from a July 29, 2024 meeting between Williamson and Campbell, outlining a plan to create a fake paper trail to cover her tracks.

Williamson: “I’m still in this like, f**king, my PPP loan got popped bullshit… [can you] do like a retroactive one?”

Campbell: “Just shoot me a text with what you need it to say and I’ll go ta, go see [employee who would be asked to create the documents] right after this.”

WHY DID TRUMP DO THIS TO ME?!?

If only there were an answer for his cruelty and her venality.

…Williamson is also accused of falsely claiming more than $1.7 million in business expenses on her taxes. She used the funds to purchase a $15,000 Chanel handbag and earrings, a chartered jet trip and a nearly $170,000 birthday trip to Mexico, the indictment alleges. She is also accused of conspiring to retroactively create fake contracts to justify federal loans made to her company, Grace Public Affairs.

Seriously – what girl doesn’t rate at least one raging birthday party trip in her lifetime?

And you simply can’t separate a good Democrat from those chartered jets. It can’t be done.

My Red State girlfriend, Jennifer Van Laar, is the document-digging guru extraordinaire, bar none, and she’s found such interesting ties between all the players already.

The whole thing is so incestuous and skeevy.

Alexis Podesta and Dana Williamson worked together at PG&E (yes, that PG&E) from 2009-11 when Williamson was Director of Public Affairs and Podesta was Special Assistant to one of Williamson’s bff’s, Nancy McFadden, and all 3 of them joined Jerry Brown’s administration in January… pic.twitter.com/cSXeSoUhPF

— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) November 13, 2025

…Nancy McFadden, and all 3 of them joined Jerry Brown’s administration in January 2011. 

No wonder Podesta figured she needed to comply when Williamson wanted her to carry on the “arrangement” she had to bilk Xavier Becerra’s dormant campaign account.

Podesta is ‘cooperating,’ so I imagine she’s giving up whatever she has to stay out of being charged. Her attorney says Podesta had no idea the funds were bad.

…Bill Portonova, Podesta’s attorney, said his client had inherited Williamson’s client portfolio when she left to become Newsom’s chief of staff in late 2022 and did not know the payments were fraudulent. Once she “was advised that these payments were not proper, the payments immediately ended. Podesta has not been charged and is cooperating with federal investigators, Portanova said.

I mean, there’s so much to be curious about out there.

Life seems to be getting even better for California Governor Gavin Newsom. For years, he and his family have lived in a $3.7 million home in Sacramento County, purchased in December 2018 by a company registered to Newsom’s cousin, Jeremy Scherer. Now, the governor is upgrading — at least part-time.

Newsom recently bought a $9.1 million mansion in Marin County, just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. The luxurious six-bedroom property features floor-to-ceiling windows, a swimming pool and a spa. Reports reveal that Newsom acquired the home through MHBD Farms, LLC, an entity formed just two days before the transaction.

It’s almost hard to keep track because there’s so much cash, but the players all seem drawn from the same team.

It’s sure been a Golden State for some people, no?

Downright shame if Trump ruined it for them.

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