The FBI was secretly listening final yr when a high-ranking advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom unleashed a stream of profanities as she vented a couple of public information request from an unnamed particular person.
“Double f— her!” mentioned Dana Williamson, Newsom’s chief of employees, repeating the f phrase all through the dialog. She additionally known as one other particular person an “a—,” based on federal courtroom paperwork made public this week.
Earlier than Wednesday, few individuals exterior of California’s political bubble doubtless knew Williamson’s identify.
Now she’s engulfed in a scandal involving political consultants and illicit funds that threatens to hang-out her former boss, Newsom, as he challenges President Trump and appears towards the 2028 presidential race.
A wise and savvy negotiator who bridged Sacramento’s overlapping worlds of presidency, enterprise and labor, Williamson can also be somebody who picked pointless fights and launched merciless missives, political consultants and buddies mentioned this week.
Federal brokers arrested Williamson Wednesday at her house in Carmichael, a Sacramento suburb. Her lawyer, former U.S. Atty. McGregor Scott, was livid about how the arrest was dealt with, saying she was significantly in poor health and in want of a liver transplant.
Federal prosecutors allege that she conspired to funnel cash out of one in every of her one-time shopper’s state marketing campaign accounts for bogus companies, and falsified paperwork associated to her COVID mortgage.
She is also accused of mendacity on her tax returns about luxurious objects and companies, together with a $150,000 birthday journey to Mexico, that she allegedly sought to cross off as enterprise bills, based on the federal government.
Williamson, who pleaded not responsible to the costs this week, appeared in a courtroom in Sacramento. She appeared solemn in the course of the listening to, at one level reportedly lifting her cuffed hand to wipe away a tear, and left with out speaking to reporters.
Court docket paperwork filed this week paint a picture of each a conniving participant and a fragile particular person. “I’m scared,” she wrote in a February 2022 textual content message to a colleague as they mentioned the alleged money-laundering scheme, which was allegedly within the early planning phases.
Public affairs guide Steven Maviglio has recognized her because the two labored in President Clinton’s administration — after which later the administration of Gov. Grey Davis. He’s now making an attempt to place collectively a authorized protection fund for her.
He described Williamson as a “no nonsense, no BS, get it performed” one that was “straight-talking, typically to the purpose of offensive to individuals.”
She usually dropped f-bombs, he added.
In one other recording captured by the FBI, Williamson joined two colleagues final yr in a restaurant close to the state Capitol in Sacramento. The federal government was asking questions on cash she obtained by way of her COVID mortgage.
She complained in regards to the “f—” drama and mentioned her Paycheck Safety Program (PPP) mortgage received “popped” — earlier than including one other swear phrase. In response to federal officers, she created false contracts in an try to point out the COVID cash was appropriately used.
There may be little sympathy from her detractors. Gil Duran, the previous press secretary to Gov. Jerry Brown, who labored alongside Williamson, likened her to a “mafia boss” in an interview with CNN. She additionally has quite a few defenders in Sacramento, lots of them girls, who view her as a troublesome and galvanizing determine.
The small print within the federal filings despatched shock waves past Sacramento and the state Capitol this week.
“I’m surprised in regards to the allegation and discover it arduous to consider,” mentioned Alison Gaulden, who supervised Williamson when she labored as an affiliate vice chairman of public affairs for Deliberate Parenthood Mar Monte from 2002 to 2004.
Gaulden described her as “extremely vibrant and properly versed in coverage. I’ve admired how she grew in her profession.”
Williamson, who grew up in Santa Rosa, moved between the personal and public sectors, and was employed by three governors, Davis, Jerry Brown and Newsom.
At Pacific Gasoline and Electrical Co. (PG&E), she labored alongside two different girls who can be remarkably influential in her life: Nancy McFadden, the late advisor to Brown and Alexis Podesta, a longtime California political insider who additionally seems within the federal courtroom paperwork filed this week.
Podesta is the particular person recognized as “Co-Conspirator 2,” however has not been charged and is cooperating with investigators, based on her legal professional.
Williamson was employed as a senior advisor for Brown and was later promoted to Cupboard secretary.
Whereas working for Brown, Williamson publicly advocated for youngsters’s well being, testifying in favor of laws that will get rid of the state’s personal-belief exemption for childhood vaccines. She mentioned the problem was significant to her as a result of she was a mom of 4.
“Normally, employees doesn’t communicate on payments, the wonderful thing about the governor is that he respects that we’re individuals first,” Williamson advised the San Francisco Chronicle. “This was essential to me.”
Enterprise advocates appreciated her direct strategy when she labored for Brown.
“She was very easy, she was a great particular person to work with,” mentioned Stuart Waldman, president of Valley Business and Commerce Assn. He mentioned he hadn’t dealt along with her in years.
She flip-flopped between personal and authorities work, drawing criticism from teams like Client Watchdog for her “revolving door” profession.
In a single episode, she was allegedly seen negotiating for her power shoppers in Brown’s workplace because the state hammered out particulars over a grid deal, drawing outrage from the watchdog group.
She began her personal authorities relations agency, Grace Public Affairs, which dealt with an array of campaigns, together with the net sports activities betting initiative Proposition 27, which appeared on the 2022 poll, however didn’t cross.
Her shoppers included California Insurance coverage Commissioner Ricardo Lara, and former Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, whose marketing campaign fund was allegedly raided by Williamson, and others.
By 2017, she had a detailed group of feminine buddies, who had additionally risen to the highest of their professions. However to those that weren’t in her internal circle, she was all elbows, one political insider mentioned this week.
On the California Democratic Social gathering headquarters in downtown Sacramento, a bronze statue of Williamson’s then-5-year-old daughter was put in as a part of a marketing campaign to advertise feminine empowerment following Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s 2016 loss.
These behind the statue included Williamson’s buddies Robin Swanson, a Democratic communications guide, and Angie Tate, then a chief fundraiser for the California Democratic Social gathering.
The set up was supposed to imitate the “Fearless Woman” statue at New York’s Wall Avenue, which reveals a 4-foot younger lady trying defiantly on the well-known charging bull statue.
In 2022, Newsom’s workplace introduced Williamson was becoming a member of his workplace as chief of employees. Although the 2 weren’t notably shut when she joined, she shortly turned a part of his internal circle, Politico reported on the time.
Anthony York, Newsom’s former communications director and a former L.A. Instances reporter, advised Politico on the time that Williamson was not intimidated by the governor’s celeb standing. “She provides zero f—s, which is a part of what makes her so nice,” York mentioned.
Throughout her time in Newsom’s workplace, she labored with former Senate chief Darrell Steinberg on the profitable passage of Proposition 1, which borrows billions of {dollars} for psychological well being companies, and was a private concern for her household.
“I had a very robust expertise with my husband that I realized lots from… when the incident occurred with him, I realized about all of the holes within the system,” she advised KQED.
She moved from Elk Grove final yr to Carmichael, buying a house for $1.695 million, based on property information. The information present her linked to a number of houses in Elk Grove, together with one which went into foreclosures in 2012.
Williamson would ship off combative messages, together with social media posts or texts, typically at evening. Amongst her targets: California Labor Federation President Lorena Gonzalez and U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), whom she known as an “entertaining fool” on X.
She took intention at former Assemblymember Kevin McCarty throughout his marketing campaign final yr for Sacramento mayor. She known as him a “satan” on X and urged others to not vote for him, earlier than her remark was taken down a couple of days later.
Newsom positioned Williamson on go away when she knowledgeable him final yr she was underneath felony investigation. Her final day in workplace was in November 2024. On the time, the governor mentioned in a press release that “her perception, tenacity, and large coronary heart might be missed.”
This week, a spokesperson for the governor struck a unique tone: “Ms. Williamson now not serves on this administration. Whereas we’re nonetheless studying particulars of the allegations, the Governor expects all public servants to uphold the very best requirements of integrity.”
