That was then ...

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Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Dana Williamson

BY Capitol Weekly POSTED 08.13.2015

1. Dana Williamson

Let’s start with the basics – the chief of staff to the governor usually tops this list because there isn’t a tougher job out there. ….
It all blends into a stew that requires a chief who can multitask as well as he can, who knows Sacramento politics inside and out, who has their own gravitas baked in, and who is not afraid to plant a boot into the appropriate backside when needed. And folks, Dana Williamson is that person. … She is loyal without being overly deferential, highly strategic and absolutely unafraid to go heads up with anyone. And as protective as she might be of him and his agenda, she has the thing every great chief of staff has – the willingness to tell the boss things he doesn’t want to hear. … But she has clearly earned his trust and his ear, and in an environment as fluid and occasionally chaotic as this one, her ability to keep everything calm, in order and moving forward is invaluable. She is the obvious choice for this spot, and picking anyone else would have been just plain dumb. 

And This is Now

FBI Arrests California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Former Chief Of Staff

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff Dana Williamson was arrested Wednesday and charged with conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, among other crimes, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

In a press statement, the office announced that a 23-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday morning following Williamson’s arrest. A federal grand jury charged her with filing false tax returns, making false statements and participating in conspiracies to commit bank and wire fraud, defraud the United States and obstruct justice.

Between February 2022 and September 2024, Williamson allegedly conspired with others to divert about $225,000 from a dormant political campaign to an associate’s personal use, according to court documents. Prosecutors claim Williamson and her associates funneled the money through multiple business entities, disguising it as payment for “what was, in reality, a no-show job.

Officials also allege the 53-year-old political consultant worked with a business associate to create false, backdated contracts after she was subpoenaed in January 2024 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office over Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans tied to her business.

Additionally, Williamson is accused of filing false tax returns, claiming more than $1 million in business deductions for “what were actually personal and nondeductible expenditures,” including luxury hotel stays, home furnishings and private jet travel, according to prosecutors.

The Gov himself wasn’t around to witness his former chief’s perp walk because he’d jetted off to the global warming party in Brazil, where he allied himself with Nigeria, a country that earns 90% of its foreign export revenues from oil sales and one that has ranked among the top 3% on corruption indexes for decades. Oh! It’s also busy slaughtering its Christian population, but that’s a mere quibble, no?

Newsom Partners With Nigeria on Climate as Genocide Rages