{"id":2511726,"date":"2025-11-18T07:10:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T12:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/corruption-scandal-threatens-to-upend-becerras-ca-governor-bid\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T07:10:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T12:10:41","slug":"corruption-scandal-threatens-to-upend-becerras-ca-governor-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/corruption-scandal-threatens-to-upend-becerras-ca-governor-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"Corruption scandal threatens to upend Becerra&#8217;s CA governor bid"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcorruption-scandal-threatens-to-upend-becerras-ca-governor-bid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2511726&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Teh article discusses a corruption scandal that threatens too derail Xavier Becerra&#8217;s campaign for governor of California. Becerra, former U.S. Health and Human services secretary under President Joe Biden, faces scrutiny after the indictment of several Democratic operatives connected to Governor Gavin Newsom and Becerra himself.Notably, Dana Williamson, a key Democratic consultant, was charged with multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy, while two of her associates, including one aide to Becerra, where charged with related offenses. Allegations include the theft of $225,000 from becerra&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsoms-ex-chief-of-staff-indicted-for-fraud-scheme\/\" title=\"Newsom&#039;s Ex-Chief Of Staff Indicted For ... Scheme\">dormant campaign funds<\/a> by his aide, raising questions about Becerra&#8217;s oversight. Critics argue this reflects broader corruption in California&#8217;s Democratic leadership. However, some Democratic strategists urge caution, noting that no one has been convicted and emphasizing that voters should decide Becerra&#8217;s fate. Polls currently show Becerra trailing behind Republican candidates in the governor&#8217;s race. Experts suggest Becerra will likely remain in the race unless evidence emerges that he was aware of the misconduct.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Corruption scandal threatens to upend Xavier Becerra&rsquo;s California governor bid<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2081448\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/xavier-becerra\/\">Xavier Becerra<\/a>, former President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\">Joe Biden&rsquo;s<\/a> Health and Human Services secretary, is at risk of getting dragged into a corruption scandal that could torpedo his chance to become <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\">California&rsquo;s<\/a> next governor.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Critics are using the recent indictments of three <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3885090\/fbi-newsom-chief-of-staff-public-corruption\/\">high-profile Democratic operatives<\/a> with ties to Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\">Gavin Newsom<\/a> (D-CA) and Becerra to argue that their lack of judgment makes them unfit for office.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3888041\/connecticut-governor-ned-lamont-announces-reelection-campaign-third-term\/\">Connecticut governor announces reelection campaign for third term<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3887322\/nevada-democrats-look-to-hijack-trumps-no-tax-on-tips-policy\/\">Nevada Democrats look to hijack Trump&#8217;s &#8216;no tax on tips&#8217; policy: &#8216;Temporary crumbs&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3887297\/kirk-endorsed-biggs-trails-hobbs-one-point-another-test-tpusa-influence\/\">Kirk-endorsed Biggs trails Hobbs by one point, as another test of TPUSA&#8217;s influence on horizon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra speaks to the Associated Press, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Nathan Ellgren)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;As with any unpleasant surprise that bonks a candidate in the middle of a campaign, the impact usually depends on three things: how the candidates handle the matter, whether and how their opponents choose to use it against them, and whether there is more to come,&rdquo; veteran Democratic strategist <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/garrysouthconsulting.com\/\">Garry South<\/a> told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Dana Williamson, an influential deal maker and one of the state&rsquo;s most sought-after Democratic political&nbsp;consultants both before and after she ran Newsom&rsquo;s office, was arrested Wednesday.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-congressman-charged-for-allegedly-lying-to-the-fbi\/\" title=\"Republican Congressman ... For Allegedly Lying To The FBI\">federal grand jury charged<\/a> the 53-year-old with 23 counts, including conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct justice. She has also been accused of writing off $1 million in vacations, designer purses, and private jet trips as business expenses on her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/irs-requirement-to-report-stolen-property-as-income-goes-viral\/\" title=\"IRS Requirement to Report Stolen Property as Income Goes Viral\">federal income tax returns<\/a>. She pleaded not guilty and was ordered released on a $500,000 bond.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Two of her longtime associates, Greg Campbell, a former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-congressmen-surveilled-by-trump-doj-were-actually-subject-to-an-incidental-collection\/\" title=\"Dem Congressmen Surveilled By Trump DOJ Were Actually Subject To An \u2018Incidental Collection\u2019\">high-level staffer<\/a> in the California Assembly, and Sean McCluskie, an aide to Becerra, have&nbsp;been charged with related crimes and are expected to plead guilty.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Federal court documents allege that, unknown to Becerra, McCluskie stole $225,000 worth of Becerra&rsquo;s dormant campaign funds for his personal use, leading critics to accuse Becerra of being &ldquo;asleep at the wheel&rdquo; while his aide allegedly looted him.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>South said he was stunned that $225,000 could be siphoned out of a politician&rsquo;s campaign account without someone noticing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Did the account have no one watching it except the consultants who were pilfering from it?&rdquo; South said. &ldquo;Those of us who have run campaigns are scratching our heads. I can&rsquo;t imagine how this would happen.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/san-francisco\/\">San Francisco<\/a> GOP strategist Rich Christensen agreed, asking, &ldquo;How are Californians supposed to trust him with their money if he failed to notice his own aide was stealing from him?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host running as a&nbsp;Republican candidate in the statewide race, told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>&nbsp;that the indictments are another example of how &ldquo;15 years of Democrat one-party rule have rotted California&rsquo;s government from the inside out.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The indictment of Gavin Newsom&rsquo;s chief of staff is not an isolated scandal,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It is the predictable outcome of a corrupt Democrat political machine that thinks the rules do not apply to them. When the&nbsp;people running the state operate without accountability, complacency becomes entitlement and entitlement becomes corruption.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Steven Maviglio, a Democratic strategist, cautioned against jumping to conclusions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;First of all, no one has been found guilty of anything,&rdquo; he told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Secondly, Becerra&rsquo;s campaign has been stuck in the mud for months now. Let the voters decide if an alleged action by a staff member has any impact. It&rsquo;s pretty weak coming from Republicans, when the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a> is knee-deep in ethical challenges far worse than what is being alleged in California.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The two GOP candidates in the race, Hilton and Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco, have led the last four <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PollTracker2024\/status\/1989775894358172018\">recent polls<\/a>, including one released&nbsp;Friday by EMC Research. It showed Hilton with 20% of the vote, Democratic candidate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/katie-porter\/\">Katie Porter<\/a> with 16%, and Bianco with 14%. Becerra had 9% of the vote.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">EMC Research poll | 10\/22-10\/26 LV<\/p>\n<p>California Governor jungle primary<br \/>&#128997;Steve Hilton 20%<br \/>&#128998;Katie Porter 16%<br \/>&#128997;Chad Bianco 14%<br \/>&#128998;Eric Swalwell 11%<br \/>&#128998;Xavier Becerra 9%<br \/>&#128998;Antonio Villaraigosa 5%<br \/>&#128998;Tom Steyer 3%<br \/>&#128998;Betty Yee 3%<br \/>&#128998;Tony Thurmond 3%<br \/>&#129001;Butch Ware 2%<br \/>&#128998;Ian Calderon 1%&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Politics &amp; Poll Tracker &#128225; (@PollTracker2024) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PollTracker2024\/status\/1989775894358172018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 15, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>While some believe recent events could force Becerra to bow out of the race, others like&nbsp;Sara Sadhwani, assistant professor of politics at Pomona College, think he&rsquo;s in it for the long haul.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think it is unlikely that Becerra will drop out of the governor&rsquo;s race unless there is evidence that he knew about the scheme,&rdquo; she told the&nbsp;<em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;When individuals want to engage in nefarious behavior and violate the law, they will go to great lengths to operate in secret.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3889291\/judge-orders-doj-turn-over-grand-jury-materials-james-comey-missteps\/\">JUDGE ORDERS DOJ TO TURN OVER GRAND JURY MATERIALS TO COMEY, CITING POSSIBLE &lsquo;MISSTEPS&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>She suggested a corollary to Becerra might be former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/los-angeles\/\">Los Angeles<\/a> Mayor Eric Garcetti, who claimed in 2020 he had no knowledge of his chief adviser Rick Jacobs&rsquo;s alleged sexual misconduct, only to have a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/california\/story\/2020-11-20\/photo-garcetti-aide-jacobs-sexually-provocative-gesture\">picture surface<\/a> of himself with Jacobs making a lewd gesture.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Calls to the California <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-party\/\">Republican Party<\/a> for comment were not returned.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Corruption scandal threatens Xavier Becerra&#8217;s governor bid<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2646,"featured_media":2511727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25008810501797.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[24665,33192,8773,5894,4633],"class_list":["post-2511726","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-becerra","tag-california-governor","tag-corruption","tag-politics","tag-scandal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25008810501797.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511726","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2646"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2511726"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2511730,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2511726\/revisions\/2511730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2511727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2511726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2511726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2511726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}