Gavin Newsom’s Former Chief of Staff Pleads Guilty, And The Plea Agreement Is Kind Of Amazing

A plea deal in California shines a remarkable light on the lives of the leftist nomenklatura.

Dana Williamson is the former chief of staff to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, having served in that role in 2023 and 2024. On May 14, facing a 23-count indictment, she pled guilty to three federal crimes: bank fraud, submitting a false tax return, and making a false statement to federal agents. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. The plea deal also requires her to pay $725,000 in restitution to Biden-era Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra and the IRS.

Williamson is the third California political player to plead guilty to participating in a scheme to drain money from an unused campaign account that belonged to Becerra, now a leading candidate for California governor. Former Becerra aide Sean McCluskie pled guilty to fraud charges last November, and Sacramento lobbyist Greg Campbell pled guilty to fraud charges in December. The scheme involved fake contracts for consulting work that wasn’t actually performed, allowing the participants in the conspiracy to use the money to subsidize their comfortable lifestyles.

Williamson’s signed plea agreement, obtained from the federal court document website, is a colorful piece of government storytelling. Here’s the big gotcha moment:

Then the plea agreement, over Williamson’s signature, describes how Newsom’s left-wing chief of staff used her money:

Six-figure fake wages to family members, luxury resorts, private jets, landscaping, nice things for the living room. Go take a look at Dana Williamson’s home, by the way. This is how leftist grandees live while they lecture us about social justice. Remember that former congressman and gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell used campaign funds on yachts, limousines, and five-star foreign resorts.

Look up at the sky: Professional social justice warriors who hate rich people might be passing overhead at this very moment, bound for Cancún or Dubai on a private jet.

---

Chris Bray is a senior correspondent at The Federalist and a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army. He has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at "Tell Me How This Ends," here.