The FBI was secretly listening last year when a top adviser to Gov. Gavin Newlom revealed the broadcast of the events as he issued a request for MPubray records from an unknown person.
“Insult him twice!” said Dana Williamson, Star of Labor News, repeating the F-Word throughout the interview. He also called another person “A-,” according to federal court documents made public this week.
Before Wednesday, few people outside of California’s political bubble would have known Wileamson’s name.
Now he is embroiled in a seat involving political consultants and illegal payments that threaten to haunt his former boss, the news, as he challenges President Trump and looks to the 2028 presidential race.
A brilliant and powerful director covering the worlds of Sacramento government, business and labor, Williamson is Williamson is a person who picks up unnecessary fights and launches vicious missiles, political advisers and friends this week.
Federal agents arrested Williamson on Wednesday at his home in Carmichael, a suburb of Sacramento. His lawyer, who had been in the US. McGregor Scott, angry at the way the arrest was handled, said he was seriously ill and needed a liver transplant.
Federal prosecutors say he advised making money from one of his campaigns for a one-time client status that called for bogus services, and falsified documents related to his Covid loan.
He has also been accused of lying on his tax returns on luxury items and services, including a $150,000 birthday trip from Mexico, which he allegedly sought to pass off as business expenses, according to the government.
Williamson, who pleaded guilty to the charges earlier this week, appeared in court in Sacramento. He appeared bravely during the hearing, at one point he reportedly raised his suspended hand to wipe away tears, and left without speaking to reporters.
Court documents filed this week paint a picture of both a connected player and a vulnerable person. “I’m scared,” he wrote in a February 2022 text message to colleagues as he discussed the money laundering scheme, which is allegedly in the early stages of planning.
Public Affairs Advisor Steven Maviglio knows him since the two worked in President Clinton’s administration – and later in Gov. David’s administration. He is now trying to put together a legal defense fund.
He described Williamson as a “no nonsense, no bs, do” person who was “straightforward, sometimes to the point of offending people.”
He stayed and dropped the bombs, he added.
In another recording captured by the FBI, Williamson joined two of his colleagues at a restaurant near the State Capitol in Sacramento. The government is raising questions about the money it gets from its cow loan.
He cried “F-” Drama and said his payday loan (PPP) found his loan “full” – before adding another swear word. According to federal officials, he created fake contracts in an attempt to show Avid’s money was being used properly.
There is little sympathy from his disabled. Gil Duran, former Press Secretary to Gov. Jerry Brown, who worked alongside Williamson, likened him to a “mafia boss” in an interview with CNN. He has many supporters in Sacramento, mostly women, who see him as a tough and inspirational figure.
The moderate data on the federal filings sent shock waves through Sacramento and the State Capitol this week.
“I’m shocked by these allegations and find it hard to believe,” said Alison Galeden, who Williamson supervised when she served as co-president of Planned Parenthood from 2002 to 2004.
Galelden dismissed him as ‘a brilliant and well-opposed political figure. I have acknowledged how he has grown in his career. “
Williamson, who grew up in Santa Rosa, moved between the private and public sectors, and was employed by three governors, Davis, Jerry Brown and Newslom.
At Pacific Gas and Electric Co (PG & E), he worked with two other women who would have a surprising influence on his life: Nancy Mcfadden, a long-time political figure from Federal documents filed this week.
Podesta has been identified as “Co-Conspirator 2,” but has not been charged and is cooperating with investigators, according to his attorney.
Williamson was hired as a senior adviser in the brown color and later promoted to Cabinet Secretary.
While working for Brown, Williamson publicly advocated for children’s health, advocating for legislation that would eliminate the individual’s personal exemption from immunizing children. She said the debate was meaningful to her because she was a mother of four children.
“Typically, workers don’t talk about bills, the good thing about the governor is that he knows we’re people first,” Williamson told San Francisco magazine. “This was important to me.”
Business advocates have appreciated his direct approach when working for blacks.
“He was straight-forward, he was a great person to work with,” said Stuart Waldman, President of Industry and Commerce. He said he hadn’t dealt with him in years.
He was torn between private and member work, drawing criticism from groups such as the consumer watchdog for his “doorstep rebellion”.
In one episode, he is said to have seen a discussion with his power customers in the brown office as the government released information about the grid deal, drawing anger from the watchdog group.
He started his government relations, public affairs, managing a list of many campaigns, including the promotion of online sports betting, which appeared on the 2022 ballot, but failed to pass.
His clients include California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara, and former Gen. Xavier Becerra, said Williamson and others.
In 2017, she had a close group of female friends, who were back at the top of their profession. But for those outside of his inner circle, he was there for all odds, one political insider said this week.
In the headquarters of the California Democratic Party Party in the city of Downtown Sacremero, a wronze sign of the daughter of Williamson’s then of Williamson was installed as part of a campaign to promote the power of women to discredit Hillicast Clinton’s 2016.
Those behind the photo include Williamson’s friends Robin Swanson, a Democratic Consuthoy consultant, and Angie Tate, and a big funder for the California Democratic Party.
The installation is designed to mimic the “brave” image in New York’s Wall Street section, showing the 4-foot-tall lady in the famous fog-charging photo.
In 2022, Newloom’s Office announced Williamson was joining his position as chief of staff. Although the two were especially close when he joined, he soon became part of his inner circle, Politico reported at the time.
Anthony York, New Commuter communications director and former LA Times reporter, told politics at the time that Williamson was not intimidated by the governor’s celebrity status. “He gives Fro zero FS, which is part of what makes him so great,” York said.
During his time in Newloom’s office, he worked with former Senate leader Darrell Steinberg on the successful passage of Proposition 1, which borrowed billions of dollars for mental health services, and it was a personal issue for his family.
“I had a difficult experience with my husband and I learned a lot from … when this incident happened with him, I learned about all the holes in the systems,” she told KQED.
He moved from Elk Grove last year to Carmichael, buying a home for $1.695 million, according to property records. Records show him connected to several homes in Elk Grove, including one that went to prominence in 2012.
Williamson will send mass messages, including social media posts or texts, often at night. Among his targets: California Labor President Lorena Gonzalez and US Rep. Kevin Keley (R-Rocklin), called X a “fun idiot”.
He thought about former Assemblymember Kevin McCarty’s first during his campaign last year in Sacramento May. He called him “the Devil” on X and pleaded with others not to curse him, before having his comments taken down within days.
The newspaper put Williamson on leave when it told him last year he was under criminal investigation. His last day in office was November 2024
This week, a spokesman for the governor struck a different tone: “Ms. Williamson is no longer working in the program. While we are still learning the details of the allegations, the governor expects all public servants to uphold the highest standards of integrity.”
