A Democratic operative with ties to Governor Gavin Newsom secretly recorded conversations for the FBI starting in June 2024. The cooperation formed part of a federal corruption probe that later expanded to include Newsom and his family finances. Alexis Podesta has not been charged.
Alexis Podesta, who held senior roles under Newsom and former Governor Jerry Brown, wore a wire while cooperating with investigators examining former chief of staff Dana Williamson. Williamson pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return, and lying to the FBI. Court documents show the scheme ran from February 2022 to September 2024 and involved roughly $225,000 taken from a dormant political campaign.
Podesta and Williamson discussed handling a public records request tied to state litigation against a corporate client. The federal inquiry, which began under the Biden administration, has since drawn scrutiny to the finances of Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and her nonprofit The Representation Project.
Newsom has described the investigation as politically motivated retaliation by the Trump administration. The probe examined more than $4.4 million that Newsom helped direct to another project linked to his wife.
