A Gavin Newsom appointee and California Democratic power broker has been alleged to have secretly recorded conversations for the FBI during a federal corruption probe into Newsom’s former chief of staff.
The claim, now attached to Alexis Podesta, 45, a longtime Sacramento insider tied to the state’s Democratic machine, predates President Trump’s return to the White House. The alleged recording activity dates back to June 2024.
According to Williamson’s attorney, McGregor Scott—a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California—Podesta was identified as the person wearing the wire in the investigation of Dana Williamson, Newsom’s former chief of staff.
The timeline is politically significant because it predates President Trump’s return to office and undermines claims that federal actions targeting Newsom’s orbit began as Trump-era retaliation. The report also connected the wire allegation to FBI notification letters sent last fall to Sacramento insiders and lobbyists, which reportedly informed recipients that their calls or communications had been intercepted during the investigation.
Podesta served in senior state-government roles under Newsom, including as secretary of California’s Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency and later holding a seat on the State Compensation Insurance Fund board. She also founded Podesta Company after years in California political circles.
The case has evolved from an initial federal indictment against Dana Williamson. On November 12, 2025, Williamson was charged in a 23-count indictment including conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstructing justice, subscribing to false tax returns, and making false statements.
Williamson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, subscribing to a false tax return, and making false statements in 2026. The broader probe also produced guilty pleas from Sean McCluskie and Greg Campbell for roughly $225,000 allegedly pulled from a dormant political campaign account.
This context makes the wire allegation politically explosive, as it ties directly to federal convictions involving high-level California Democratic operatives. The same background explains why the claim hit Sacramento so hard—it places alleged FBI cooperation within the same circle of consultants and state power players who have operated in California Democratic politics for years.
Newsom has not been charged in this case either, and the current status of the investigation remains under federal jurisdiction. Newsom and his wife have recently framed federal scrutiny as political payback, but the timeline suggests otherwise.