[Los Angeles Magazine] Xavier Bacerra, California’s former Attorney General who also served in the Biden cabinet, is running for governor as a scandal involving a campaign account in his name continues to dominate headlines.
Xavier Becerra denied knowing anything about a scheme federal prosecutors say was launched by his former campaign manager and chief of staff to pilfer $250,000 from his dormant campaign coffers. Certainly not!
Sean McCluskie, a former longtime aide to California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, pleaded guilty to charges related to stealing funds from Becerra’s dormant campaign account on Thursday.
Dana Williamson was under federal investigation when she worked for Governor Gavin Newsom as his Chief of Staff from 2022 to 2024, prosecutors say.
McCluskie, who was indicted alongside Governor Gavin Newsom’s Chief of Staff Dana Williamson, is accused of conspiring with his wife, Kerry MacKay, and the Democratic Party’s longtime power player to pilfer funds from Becerra’s campaign coffers as a way to pad his paycheck when his boss took a job in the Biden cabinet as Health and Human Services Secretary, prosecutors say.
Williamson, a top aide to Newsom until late 2024 when the FBI made it clear she was under investigation, had previously served as Becerra’s campaign manager in 2018 during his successful reelection campaign for California State Attorney General.
McCluskie has since admitted to colluding with Williamson and a Sacramento lobbyist, Greg Campbell, to pilfer campaign contributions from his former boss beginning in 2022. His plea agreement was filed under seal as he continues to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
The disgraced ex-pol is now slated to be sentenced in February 2026. McCluskie was Becerra’s second in command in the California AG’s Office, going back to 2017, and he then followed his boss into the Biden Administration in 2021 when he was appointed as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Williamson was charged by a federal grand jury this month with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice, subscribing to false tax returns, and making false statements. Newsom issued his first statement on his former top aide’s arrest this week after it was revealed the FBI sting included conversations recorded at his State House office.
"My first reaction was real shock and deep concern — the seriousness of the allegations, the impact on Dana’s children, and whether the Trump Administration has politicized this," Newsom said in a statement. "We were first made aware of the investigation almost a year ago, and the moment I learned of it, my legal team and I placed her on leave while hoping it would be appropriately resolved."
"I wasn’t privy to any details as it unfolded, and this is not the kind of thing I’m used to seeing in public service," Newsom continued. "I hold our team to very high standards of ethics and accountability, and I’m still processing the seriousness of the allegations." Shocked, I tell you! I'm shocked!
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/21/2025 00:00 ||
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#1
Newsom is within the Pelosi orbit. He pretends to have principles with the believability of George Stephanopolus and Jstie couric pretending to be journalists.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/21/2025 5:59 Comments ||
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#2
Notice how Newsom frets about Trump politicizing this case even though the investigation began while Biden was still in office. That might lead one to believe the crimes were so egregious that even Christopher Wray went after them.
But $250,000 is chump change. I mean, consider that Newsom cannot account for the $24 billion that was budgeted for the homeless and yet the homelesshobo camps continue to block public sidewalks. And then there are the untold billions that were allocated for the train to nowhere without a single track being laid. I'd like to see the Feebs follow that money.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/21/2025 11:30 Comments ||
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3dc, money doesn't fix their damages. ESPECIALLY money from our Treasury. Justice requires the perpetrators to lose their positions (mostly done), their reputations, their futures, and their pensions.
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/21/2025 10:56 Comments ||
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[NYPOST] President Trump lashed out Thursday at six Democratic politicians who released a video on social media this week urging service members to defy "illegal orders" by the administration.
"It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL," Trump thundered on Truth Social Thursday morning.
"Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand — We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET."
The president then reposted messages of support from users of his social media platform, including one who wrote in all caps: "Hang them George Washington would !!"
The 60-second video, titled "Don’t Give Up The Ship," featured Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Reps. Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Rep. Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire, and Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado.
"We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now. Americans trust their military, but that trust is at risk. This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens like us. You all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution," the politicians said in the video released Tuesday.
"Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home. Our laws are clear," they said. "You can refuse illegal orders ... you must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2025 00:00 ||
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Aren't there six extra nice rooms for this bunch at one of our Federal Pens?
Posted by: Oregon Dave ||
11/21/2025 1:25 Comments ||
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lead is cheaper
Posted by: chris ||
11/21/2025 4:30 Comments ||
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In a dictatorship, they never would have pulled the stunt, because they would all be dead right now, yet the dictator trope will continue to be uttered like a leftist Hail Mary.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/21/2025 5:38 Comments ||
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"You can refuse illegal orders ... you must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution."
Sorry guys, but they're absolutely correct. Now if you want to talk about what they want you to believe is illegal...
#5
You must refuse illegal orders, but you had better be right in thinking they are illegal (there are procedures available to help you.) The implication was that Trump was issuing illegal orders, though they were not specified, thus encouraging service members to disobey. Similarly, Trump did not say the military and intelligence officers making those 'suggestions' should be killed, but rather 'executed,' implying trial, conviction, and sentencing. IMO that sentence is extremely unlikely, though there may be fair grounds that the officers have engaged in sedition or insurrection (certainly more so than Trump on Jan 6.)
#7
So arrest them and put them on trial. Even if they're acquitted they must endure the distraction of defending themselves and the expense of lawyers. The process is the punishment. Right? Give them a dose of their own medicine.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/21/2025 11:55 Comments ||
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#4 - Gen Milley violated the chain of command as established by the Goldwater–Nichols Act ordering any orders from the President first had to be cleared by him. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is not in the chain of command. The JC is suppose to coordinate and support theater commands, it does not have command authority. Did you see these people get their trunks twisted up about that? I recall a pardon by the Autopen. The only illegal orders I've seen have been by federal judges who are not part of the chain of command nor granted power by the legislative branch over the military.
#9
Spent 8 years in the Marines. The concept of "illegal orders" came up in Boot Camp, and other times. As did the UCMJ.
We were told in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, that if you refused an order just because YOU thought it was "illegal", you damn well better have clarified with someone above you...even if you had to skip ranks.
Because if you did NOT do so, then the hammer of the UCMJ would squash you like a bug!
Further, anyone ENCOURAGING you refuse orders, could and would be charged with conspiracy, among other things.
In eight years I received lots or orders I didn't like, even a couple I thought were shaky. But I NEVER considered skipping up the chain to report "illegal orders".
#1
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) now owes $15 million to the union-owned Amalgamated Bank of New York,campaign finance records show.
The DNC received a $7 million loan from the bank in September, in addition to the $8 million loan it took out the previous month, neither of which has been paid back. The loans account for the majority of the committee’s $20 million in total debt.
The DNC paid Amalgamated Bank more than $18,000 in loan interest for the month of September, the records show.
Amalgamated Bank, often described as “America’s Labor Bank,” is a national entity, the majority of which is owned by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), a large, politically active union with deep ties to the Democratic Party.
The Clinton Foundation, originally established in 1997 as the William J. Clinton Foundation and rebranded in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, is a nonprofit organization focused on addressing global challenges such as climate change, public health, economic opportunity, and gender equality It operates under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code and has raised an estimated $2 billion through 2016 from various sources, including U.S. corporations, foreign governments, and political donors, which has drawn controversy The foundation's Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), a key component, has hosted annual meetings to foster commitments to action on critical global issues. The 2025 CGI Annual Meeting, marking its 20th anniversary, concluded with 106 new commitments to action across areas like climate, health, and economic equity, with participation from global leaders including heads of state and executives from organizations like Gilead Sciences, Pfizer, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Amalgamated Bank of New York, founded in 1923 by the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, is a labor union-aligned banking institution that has historically been owned by labor unions, including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and its Workers United division As of 2025, it remains a major player in the progressive movement, managing over $4 billion in assets and nearly $40 billion under management, largely from union pension funds The bank serves as a financial partner for left-of-center political organizations, including the Democratic National Committee and the Ready for Hillary super PAC, and offers specialized services such as 24-hour concierge support for political candidates Priscilla Sims Brown has served as its President and CEO since 2021
The two institutions are linked through shared sponsorships and collaborative efforts. Amalgamated Bank was a sponsor of the 2025 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, alongside other major organizations like Gilead Sciences, Pfizer, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation The bank also supports progressive causes through its Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, a donor-advised fund established in 2017 that funds left-of-center activist initiatives This partnership reflects a broader alignment between the Clinton Foundation’s mission-driven work and Amalgamated Bank’s commitment to social and economic justice through financial mechanisms
Donor-advised funds are a common vehicle for donors, desirable for convenience and anonymity. Donors give to a DAF, receive an immediate receipt for their gift, and, over time, instruct the fund to disburse parts of the deposited money to causes of the donor’s choice. Besides permitting donors to schedule tax deductions to maximal advantage, having a DAF write the check means the donor’s contribution to an organization never shows up on the donor’s 1040 or the recipient charity’s Form 990. DAFs routinely reveal the donor’s identity only to the beneficiary; this information is not made public, and thus donors cannot be identified or targeted for the charities that they support.
That had our SNAP and WIC beneficiaries starving, literally, that had our troops not being paid. All of this is nothing more than a distraction. But I applaud the president and his transparency.
That's what we need. And what we're going to see, I think, is a lot of things that the Democrats are not going to like.”
Source: Newsmax,
@ATrupar
[X] Kamala went on a podcast and detonated a single demand at full volume:
''Release the files!''
Her accusation: Trump pretending his hands are tied by Congress is pure gaslighting, especially for a president who's never met an executive power he couldn't stretch like taffy.
And then - in classic Trump fashion - hours later he signed the bill anyway, declared victory, and blasted out a Truth Social post framing himself as the transparency hero while torching Biden for never releasing ''a single page.''
The bipartisan vote? 421—1. When Marjorie Taylor Greene and Ro Khanna end up on the same microphone— you know the political universe is doing backflips.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/21/2025 00:00 ||
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The Epstein Files are a game of rhetorical chicken. If the full files are released, there will need to be massive changes in our government because several branches will be shown to have facilitated the exploitation of underage American citizens for an intelligence operation of another company. They are calling it a national security interest to make sure that it is no known that our government would traffic our kids because us knowing that would make their status quo insecure. The dirt bag lists are their distraction that they are willing to play chicken with. What they are going to discover is that we want the dirt bags prosecuted and we want to know which US agency folks need to be in jail with them. These were somebody’s daughters. Daughters are disposable. When the distracting is done, there will be accountability.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
11/21/2025 5:54 Comments ||
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Excellent points Supe. Sadly, the exploitation and outright elimination of large numbers of people certainly has a precedence in the modern era.
#3
In the grand scheme of things, yes it is a distraction and small potatoes.
In the short term, it will weed out the old guard and the newish leaders of populists. But in the end nothing will really change and it will be new perverts going after new targets in new locations that is covered up yet again.
#4
Is or is not, it should be used to screen those department budget cuts mentioned yesterday, among other directions; keep the media efforts on the funny foot.
Example; The Cheney Funeral Variety Show was highly produced and directed and included celebrity guests. What would have been a McCain level flooding had worse viewer ratings than the final season of Dr. Who.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[NYPOST] President Trump lashed out Thursday at six Democratic 
[X] 
