Dana Williamson was Gavin Newsom’s chief-of-staff for nearly two years from 2023 to the end of 2024. During her tenure she served as Newsom’s enforcer in Sacramento:
Dana Williamson, who as chief of staff to Gavin Newsom served as his enforcer at the Capitol and a top liaison to powerful labor unions and business interests across California, has departed the governor’s office. Her last day was Friday.
Williamson — described by Newsom aides and allies as his “political assassin” in Sacramento — will be replaced by Nathan Barankin, another veteran of California politics who recently joined the governor’s office after spending years as a political consultant and an adviser to Kamala Harris.
Williamson was pushed out of her job in December 2024. About a year later, she was arrested and ultimately faced nearly two dozen charges for various scams she (allegedly) carried out, including during her time as Newsom’s top aide. She pleaded not guilty to those charges, but today there’s a report that she is working out a plea deal.
Court records filed Monday indicate Williamson’s upcoming April 30 court date has been postponed as her attorneys and federal prosecutors appear to be negotiating a possible plea deal.
Federal prosecutors have accused Williamson of crimes stemming from three separate incidents…
A spokesperson for federal prosecutors confirmed that discussions regarding a resolution to the case are ongoing. Williamson’s attorney, McGregor Scott, did not immediately respond to a request for comment as of Monday night.
As mentioned, Williamson was accused of running three separate scams. The first involved PPP loans for which she was not eligible. She’s accused of faking documents to cover her tracks.
Federal records show Williamson’s Grace Public Affairs received $104,000 in PPP loans. In September of 2023, authorities began investigating the loans. As part of the investigation, Williamson’s company was served a subpoena seeking documents related to its eligibility for the loan and money made through lobbying activity.
Investigators say in August of 2024 Williamson, with the help of Sacramento-based lobbyist Greg Campbell, falsified documents that she could submit in response to the subpoena.
Secondly, she’s accused of trying to help an aide to Xavier Becerra, who was tapped by Joe Biden as his HHS Secretary, to siphon money from a dormant campaign account.
When President Joe Biden appointed former California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his Health and Human Services Secretary, Becerra took his Chief of Staff Sean McCluskie with him to Washington, D.C.
After taking the role, the indictment says McCluskie approached Williamson with a plan that could help him make more money…
The indictment says as part of the scheme, the money was transferred to at least three different companies, before payments were ultimately issued to McCluskie. The documents say the payments were disguised as work done by his wife, but she never worked for any of the companies.
And third, she’s accused of filing false reports to the IRS.
Williamson is also accused of underreporting her business income on her tax returns for at least three years. On her 2022 returns, investigators say they located more than $160,000 in false business deductions that were really based on her personal expenditures. The documents say that included a $15,000 Chanel handbag and ring, a $5,000 Fendi handbag and wallet and a $15,000 luxury hotel stay for her birthday.
She sounds like a real peach. She’s had a rough time lately even apart from the charges. In February she had a liver transplant.
As mentioned, she had a court date scheduled for Thursday, so the plea deal is probably going to happen fairly soon if it happens at all. But thanks to this dragging out for years, her connection to Newsom won’t be fresh when he announces his run for president sometime next year. Still, it’s worth remembering the sort of people he surrounded himself with.
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