The FBI was secretly listening final 12 months when a high-ranking advisor to Gov. Gavin Newsom unleashed a stream of profanities as she vented a couple of public data request from an unnamed particular person.
“Double f— her!” stated Dana Williamson, Newsom’s chief of workers, repeating the F phrase all through the dialog. She additionally referred to as one other individual an “a—,” in keeping with federal courtroom paperwork made public this week.
Earlier than Wednesday, few individuals exterior of California’s political bubble seemingly 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 associates stated this week.
Federal brokers arrested Williamson, 53, Wednesday at her dwelling 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 all her onetime shopper’s state marketing campaign accounts for bogus providers, and falsified paperwork associated to her COVID mortgage.
She is also accused of mendacity on her tax returns about luxurious gadgets and providers, together with a $150,000 birthday journey to Mexico, that she allegedly sought to move off as enterprise bills, in keeping with the federal government.
Williamson, who pleaded not responsible to the fees this week, appeared in a courtroom in Sacramento. She appeared solemn throughout 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 levels.
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 12 months in a restaurant close to the state Capitol in Sacramento. The federal government was asking questions on cash she obtained by her COVID mortgage.
She complained concerning the “f—” drama and stated her Paycheck Safety Program (PPP) mortgage received “popped” — earlier than including one other swear phrase. In line with federal officers, she created false contracts in an try to indicate 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 ladies, who view her as a tricky and galvanizing determine.
The main points within the federal filings despatched shock waves past Sacramento and the state Capitol this week.
“I’m shocked concerning the allegation and discover it onerous to imagine,” stated Alison Gaulden, who supervised Williamson when she labored as an affiliate vp of public affairs for Deliberate Parenthood Mar Monte from 2002 to 2004.
Gaulden described her as “extremely brilliant and properly versed in coverage. I’ve admired how she grew in her profession.”
Williamson, who grew up in Santa Rosa, moved between the non-public 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 ladies 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 individual recognized as “Co-Conspirator 2,” however has not been charged and is cooperating with investigators, in keeping with her lawyer.
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 remove the state’s personal-belief exemption for childhood vaccines. She stated the problem was significant to her as a result of she was a mom of 4.
“Normally, workers doesn’t communicate on payments, the beauty of the governor is that he respects that we’re individuals first,” Williamson informed the San Francisco Chronicle. “This was necessary to me.”
Enterprise advocates appreciated her direct strategy when she labored for Brown.
“She was very simple, she was a very good individual to work with,” stated Stuart Waldman, president of Valley Business and Commerce Assn. He stated he hadn’t dealt along with her in years.
She flip-flopped between non-public and authorities work, drawing criticism from teams like Shopper Watchdog for her “revolving door” profession.
In a single episode, she was allegedly seen negotiating for her power purchasers 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 move.
Her purchasers 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 associates, who had additionally risen to the highest of their professions. However to those that weren’t in her interior circle, she was all elbows, one political insider stated this week.
On the California Democratic Celebration 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 associates Robin Swanson, a Democratic communications guide, and Angie Tate, then a chief fundraiser for the California Democratic Celebration.
The set up was meant to imitate the “Fearless Woman” statue at New York’s Wall Road, which reveals a 4-foot younger girl wanting 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 workers. Although the 2 weren’t notably shut when she joined, she shortly grew to become a part of his interior circle, Politico reported on the time.
Anthony York, Newsom’s former communications director and a former L.A. Instances reporter, informed Politico on the time that Williamson was not intimidated by the governor’s superstar standing. “She provides zero f—s, which is a part of what makes her so nice,” York stated.
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 providers, and was a private situation for her household.
“I had a very powerful expertise with my husband that I realized quite a bit from… when the incident occurred with him, I realized about all of the holes within the system,” she informed KQED.
She moved from Elk Grove final 12 months to Carmichael, buying a house for $1.695 million, in keeping with property data. The data present her linked to a number of properties 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, usually at night time. Amongst her targets: California Labor Federation President Lorena Gonzalez and U.S. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), whom she referred to as an “entertaining fool” on X.
She took goal at former Assemblymember Kevin McCarty throughout his marketing campaign final 12 months for Sacramento mayor. She referred to as him a “satan” on X and urged others to not vote for him, earlier than her remark was taken down a number of days later.
Newsom positioned Williamson on go away when she knowledgeable him final 12 months she was below felony investigation. Her final day in workplace was in November 2024. On the time, the governor stated in a press release that “her perception, tenacity, and large coronary heart shall be missed.”
This week, a spokesperson for the governor struck a special tone: “Ms. Williamson not serves on this administration. Whereas we’re nonetheless studying particulars of the allegations, the Governor expects all public servants to uphold the best requirements of integrity.”
