Comments

You have commented 375 times on Rantburg.

Your Name

Your e-mail (optional)

Website (optional)

	My Original Nic Pic-a-Nic Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Foto

Submit your comments on this article

Government Corruption

FBI infiltrated Gavin Newsom's inner circle by convincing governor's ally to wear a wire: lawyer

2026-07-03

[NY Post] Things gettin' jiggy in Sacramento
The FBI had a mole inside Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political orbit before the agency’s corruption probe expanded into the governor and his wife, The Post has learned.

Democrat insider Alexis Podesta, 45, secretly recorded conversations during the criminal probe into Newsom’s then-chief of staff, Dana Williamson, 53, who pleaded guilty to federal fraud and tax charges in May, according to Williamson’s attorney.

The revelation she was wearing a wire as far back as June 2024

…during the Biden Politburo presidency. Give me a moment while I get over my shock and switch to pride for FBI honour during that dark time…

explains why a swath of Sacramento political insiders and lobbyists were stunned to receive FBI letters last fall informing them that their phone calls had been intercepted during the investigation — despite many having little or no connection to Williamson.

"Alexis wore a wire, and Dana did not," said McGregor Scott, Williamson’s lawyer and a former US attorney for the Eastern District of California, which is now investigating the Newsoms.

The disclosure comes as Newsom announced last month that he and his wife — whose nonprofit has been burning through money in recent years — as well as members of the governor’s inner circle are under federal investigation.

Within hours of that announcement, Newsom blasted out an email to raise money for political action committee.

Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) told The Post he was among those who received one of the letters even though he had never spoken with either Williamson or Podesta.

"A lot of people received letters essentially informing us that there were certain periods of time where the FBI was given access to follow phone calls," Hoover said.

"I don’t know how these investigations work, but it sounds like they cast a pretty broad net across the Capitol community to see what they could find."

Posted by:Frank G

#5 comments); ?>werwer

Posted by: Rambler 2026-07-03 12:56

#4 comments); ?>werwer

Posted by: Abu Uluque 2026-07-03 11:51

#3 comments); ?>werwer

Posted by: ed in texas 2026-07-03 11:38

#2 comments); ?>werwer

Posted by: Besoeker 2026-07-03 09:53

#1 comments); ?>werwer

Posted by: Chantry 2026-07-03 09:50

00:00