Democrat power broker Alexis Podesta, 45, is identified as the person wearing an FBI wire inside Gov. Gavin Newsom’s political orbit during a federal corruption probe that expanded to Newsom and his wife. The disclosure helps explain why Sacramento insiders re
For the third time in as many weeks, Sacramento political operators compared notes in private. Then the explanation landed: it wasn’t just that the FBI had been listening. It was how far back the listening went — and who was doing it.
Democrat insider Alexis Podesta, 45, secretly recorded conversations during a criminal probe that originally focused on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s then-chief of staff, Dana Williamson, 53. Williamson pleaded guilty in May to federal fraud and tax charges.
Williamson’s attorney said Podesta was wearing a wire during the investigation.
McGregor Scott, Williamson’s lawyer and a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California (now investigating the Newsoms), put it plainly: “Alexis wore a wire, and Dana did not.”
The revelation that Podesta was wearing a wire as far back as June 2024 helps explain why a wide swath of Sacramento political insiders and lobbyists were stunned to receive FBI letters last fall. The letters informed them that their phone calls had been intercepted during the investigation. despite many having little or no connection to Williamson.
Assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom) said 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.”
The wire disclosure arrives as Newsom announced last month that he and his wife—whose nonprofit has been burning through money in recent years—are under federal investigation, along with members of the governor’s inner circle.
Within hours of that announcement, Newsom sent an email to raise money for a political action committee.
Hoover said the mounting investigation has deepened public skepticism around Newsom and the way the governor’s office conducts business.
“All of this stuff just raises so many questions,” he said. “What is going on in this administration? What types of conversations are being had? I think the entire case should be really concerning for the general public. It’s really raising a lot of mistrust.”
He added: “I think it underlines how problematic this current administration is. [Newsom] is someone who wants to run for president of the United States. It’s really disappointing to see that this is the level of our politics.”
The scope described by those letters wasn’t limited to people who worked closely with Williamson. A separate source with knowledge of the matter said four Sacramento insiders also received FBI notifications confirming they had been recorded.
One recipient told the source: “Dude, I got this f—ing letter. I never even met with Dana Williamson!”
Their curiosity, the source said, was that they had never met Williamson and were trying to understand why they were pulled into the notification.
“And now you have the answer,” the source said.
Williamson’s attorney said Williamson never wore a wire during the FBI’s investigation.
The federal case against Williamson—who served as Newsom’s chief of staff—centered on her May guilty plea. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return and lying to the FBI.
Federal prosecutors alleged Williamson and others orchestrated a scheme to siphon roughly $225. 000 from a dormant campaign account belonging to former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. who is now the Democratic frontrunner to succeed Newsom as governor. Prosecutors said Williamson disguised payments as legitimate consulting fees while routing the money to benefit Becerra’s former chief of staff. Sean McCluskie.
Williamson’s case is still moving through the courts ahead of her sentencing hearing.
Podesta, for her part, remains on California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund board. Newsom appointed her in January 2020, according to the account provided here, and she continues to receive annual compensation of nearly $61,000.
Her background includes serving as secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, and holding senior positions in Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration. She previously worked for PG&E, Disney, and the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Podesta has not been charged with a crime. But her attorney, Bill Portanova, has identified her as the uncharged co-conspirator described in the Williamson indictment and confirmed she has cooperated with federal investigators.
The governor’s office declined a request for comment on the circumstances involving Podesta, saying it is a personnel matter. Podesta and her attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
Newsom’s public posture has been sharp. He publicly accused President Trump of directing the Justice Department to investigate him as political retaliation ahead of a possible 2028 presidential campaign, and Trump had previously called for Newsom’s arrest.
Still, sources familiar with the matter told this reporting that federal investigators have spent the past year digging into not only Newsom, but also his staff and his wife’s taxes.
Siebel Newsom, the governor’s wife, accused Trump of having “no boundaries.”
Whistleblowers reportedly tipped off the feds to launch the probe into Newsom, and Williamson’s attorney said his client declined to cooperate because she had no information on Newsom.
Podesta’s attorney said she inherited responsibility for overseeing Becerra’s dormant campaign account after Williamson left private consulting to become Newsom’s chief of staff in late 2022 and did not know the payments were improper. Campaign finance records show Becerra’s committee paid Podesta Company mostly $10,000 monthly installments during 2023 and 2024.
According to court filings. Williamson. while serving as Newsom’s chief of staff. shared confidential state government information with a co-conspirator—identified in reporting as Podesta—about a corporate client identified as Activision Blizzard. Williamson’s plea agreement states she was captured in a June 2024 wiretap strategizing with the co-conspirator about how to respond to a Public Records Act request involving the state’s litigation against the company. Williamson and Podesta exchanged text messages on the issue, according to court records.
Podesta has not publicly commented on the matter.
A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office that charged Williamson and is investigating the governor declined comment.
Hoover said the broad reach reflected in the letters and the growing investigation have left the public uneasy—especially at a moment when Newsom has portrayed the case as political retaliation.
“The entire case should be really concerning for the general public,” Hoover said, speaking to the mistrust he believes has been created by the mounting revelations.
Gavin Newsom Alexis Podesta Dana Williamson FBI wire Sacramento political insiders corruption probe Sacramento letters Public Records Act Activision Blizzard Xavier Becerra Sean McCluskie
Wait so Alexis Podesta was the one with the wire? That’s wild.
I don’t get it… like if the FBI already had it, why is this just coming out now? Also Newsom’s circle?? Sounds like everyone’s friends with everyone and somebody always gets burned.
Dana Williamson pleaded guilty right? But they’re saying she didn’t wear the wire, Podesta did. So basically it’s just a scapegoat thing? Idk, the headline makes it sound like Newsom himself had to be involved somehow.
Of course they were recording “circle” conversations… politicians act like they don’t talk. I read something else earlier that said it started way before June 2024, so maybe this is just the FBI breadcrumb trail for optics. And isn’t Alexis Podesta connected to that bigger Podesta thing? Feels like there’s always a family name hiding in the background.