Feds: Ex-Newsom aide used job to pressure California into settling suit with former client

Lia Russell, The Sacramento Bee on Nov 16, 2025

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Federal officials said Dana Williamson, the Sacramento political powerbroker who was indicted earlier this week, used her position while she was Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff to pressure state attorneys to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit with one of her former clients, gaming company Activision Blizzard.

According to the 23-count indictment, which The Sacramento Bee first reported Wednesday, Williamson was working in the governor’s mansion when she “pass(ed) California State government information” in spring 2023 about “Corporation 1” to her fellow co-conspirator and friend, lobbyist Alexis Podesta. Williamson served as Newsom’s chief of staff from December 2022 to November 2024, when his office put her on leave when she informed them she was under federal investigation.

The timeline and details in the indictment match up with when the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing, now the California Civil Rights Department, was undergoing a court battle with Activision Blizzard. State officials accused Activision Blizzard, known for franchises like “Call of Duty,” of fomenting a “frat boy culture” that became a “breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women.”

The state settled with Activision Blizzard in late 2023, months after federal investigators said Williamson told Podesta that January that she had told a high-ranking government attorney to “move the lawsuit to a different part of the state government and get it settled.”

Activision Blizzard agreed to settle for $54 million but did not admit wrongdoing. The Santa Monica-based company did not respond to requests for comment.

In June 2024, Williamson told Podesta that Melanie Proctor, a former state attorney, had submitted a California Public Records Act request seeking information related to the state’s litigation with Activision Blizzard. The request sought communications between her and Campbell, according to copies of the request posted online by Proctor.

“Ugh. F- her. They don’t really know who they are messing with,” Podesta said.

“They really don’t. It’s bad for them,” Williamson said in response.

Proctor hung up on a Bee reporter when reached Friday and did not respond to a voicemail message. In March 2022, she resigned from the civil rights department in protest after her boss, Chief Counsel Janette Wipper, was fired. Wipper, who did not respond to a request for comment, had previously complained that the governor’s office was interfering in the Activision Blizzard litigation.

Williamson, lobbyist Greg Campbell and former Chief Deputy State Attorney General Sean McCluskie are accused of conspiring to divert $225,000 from the campaign account of former Attorney General Xavier Becerra to McCluskie to inflate his salary while he served as Becerra’s top aide in the Biden administration. According to the indictment, the outgoing funds were routed through Podesta and Williamson’s consulting firms and disguised as monthly payments to McCluskie’s spouse for a “no-show” communications consulting job.

Williamson pleaded not guilty Wednesday and is awaiting a court appearance on Dec. 11 after being released on bond. McCluskie and Campbell pleaded guilty in earlier agreements and were arraigned Friday.

Williamson’s attorney, McGregor Scott, blasted Wednesday’s charges as politically motivated. He said his client declined to cooperate when approached by the FBI for information about Newsom last year. The investigation began in 2022 under the Biden administration.

Podesta, who is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator, is cooperating with the investigation, according to her attorney, Bill Portanova, who declined to comment further Friday. Neither the governor nor Becerra is accused of wrongdoing. Becerra, who is now running for governor in 2026, called McCluskie’s alleged theft of campaign funds a “betrayal.” He compared it to being cheated on by a spouse in an interview with KTLA on Saturday, and said he did not know the true nature of the payments.

“You’re married for 20 years all of a sudden you find out that your spouse has been cheating on you. Did you expect that?” he said.

According to state lobbying records and the FBI indictment, Williamson and Podesta represented Activision Blizzard. The gaming company also paid Campbell $240,000 between Jan. 2023 and April 2024. It’s unclear how much Podesta and Williamson received.

In addition to the conspiracy charges, federal officials also accused Williamson of falsifying tax records and claiming $1 million in business deductions that were really for personal use, like luxury resort stays, designer handbags, and a personal HVAC system at her home.

Newsom’s office previously said none of the alleged activity happened while Williamson was his chief of staff, which is contradicted by details in the FBI indictment. A spokesperson for Newsom, who returned to the U.S. Sunday from a global climate summit in Brazil, referred The Bee back to his original statement distancing himself from his former aide.

“While we are still learning details of the allegations, the governor expects all public servants to uphold the highest standards of integrity,” said Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon.

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