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 few public data request from an unnamed particular person.
“Double f— her!” stated 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—,” in keeping with federal court docket paperwork made public this week.
Earlier than Wednesday, few individuals outdoors of California’s political bubble probably knew Williamson’s title.
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 sensible 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 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 critically in poor health and in want of a liver transplant.
Federal prosecutors allege that she conspired to funnel cash out of certainly one 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 gadgets and companies, together with a $150,000 birthday journey to Mexico, that she allegedly sought to go 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 advisor Steven Maviglio has recognized her for the reason that two labored in President Clinton’s administration — after which later the administration of Gov. Grey Davis. He’s now attempting to place collectively a authorized protection fund for her.
He described Williamson as a “no nonsense, no BS, get it executed” one that was “straight-talking, generally to the purpose of offensive to individuals.”
She repeatedly 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 acquired by way of her COVID mortgage.
She complained concerning the “f—” drama and stated her Paycheck Safety Program (PPP) mortgage obtained “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, a lot of them girls, who view her as a tricky and provoking determine.
The small print within the federal filings despatched shock waves past Sacramento and the state Capitol this week.
“I’m shocked concerning the allegation and discover it exhausting 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 vibrant and effectively 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 Fuel and Electrical Co. (PG&E), she labored alongside two different girls who could 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 court docket paperwork filed this week.
Podesta is the particular person recognized as “Co-Conspirator 2,” however has not been charged and is cooperating with investigators, in keeping with 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 kids’s well being, testifying in favor of laws that might get rid of the state’s personal-belief exemption for childhood vaccines. She stated the difficulty was significant to her as a result of she was a mom of 4.
“Often, employees doesn’t communicate on payments, the wonderful thing about 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 particular person to work with,” stated Stuart Waldman, president of Valley Trade and Commerce Assn. He stated 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 purchasers in Brown’s workplace because the state hammered out particulars over a grid deal, 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 go.
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 an in depth group of feminine associates, 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 stated 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 associates Robin Swanson, a Democratic communications advisor, and Angie Tate, then a chief fundraiser for the California Democratic Social gathering.
The set up was meant to imitate the “Fearless Lady” statue at New York’s Wall Avenue, which reveals a 4-foot younger lady 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 employees. Although the 2 weren’t notably shut when she joined, she shortly grew to become a part of his internal circle, Politico reported on the time.
Anthony York, Newsom’s former communications director and a former L.A. Occasions reporter, informed 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 stated.
Throughout her time in Newsom’s workplace, she labored with on the profitable passage of Proposition 1, which borrows billions of {dollars} for psychological well being companies, and was a private problem for her household.
“I had a very robust 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 moved from Elk Grove final yr to Carmichael, buying a house for $1.695 million, in keeping with property data. The data 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 night time. 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 goal 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 just a few days later.
Newsom positioned Williamson on depart when she knowledgeable him final yr she was beneath 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 massive coronary heart might be missed.”
This week, a spokesperson for the governor struck a special 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.”
