$225K Aide Theft Scandal Puts New Pressure on Becerra’s Governor Run

Xavier Becerra is now at the center of Sacramento’s most damaging political scandal after federal prosecutors alleged that his closest aides stole $225,000 from one of his campaign accounts according to POLITICO. Becerra is not charged, but the indictment exposes a years-long theft inside his inner circle and raises questions about his oversight as he runs for governor.

According to the federal indictment of Dana Williamson—former chief of staff to Gov. Gavin Newsom—Williamson and Becerra’s longtime chief of staff Sean McCluskie conspired to skim money from Becerra’s dormant state campaign account beginning in February 2022. Prosecutors say the payments were routed through Williamson’s company and disguised as compensation for McCluskie’s spouse. Later, Alexis Podesta took over the invoicing through the Podesta Company, which the indictment notes is unrelated to the Podesta Group.

McCluskie, who followed Becerra to Washington in 2021, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. Lobbyist Greg Campbell also pleaded guilty. Podesta cooperated with investigators and was not charged. Williamson pleaded not guilty to 23 counts, including tax fraud and making false statements.

Prosecutors say the conspirators hid their actions because “they believed, correctly, that [Becerra] would not have permitted the payments if [he] had known the truth.” The indictment cites text messages in which McCluskie said he had spoken to Becerra and that Becerra wanted him and Williamson to talk. In another message, McCluskie said Becerra asked for examples of “a reasonable amount” for account-management fees.

During this period, Becerra approved $7,500 per month for account maintenance, even though his congressional campaign committee had historically spent far less—$18,000 in 2021 and below $30,000 in 2022. Prosecutors allege the funds subsidized Williamson’s $10,000 monthly payments to McCluskie, which increased to that amount in 2023.

Becerra said investigators approached him “around the new year,” and he spoke to them multiple times. He said he stayed distanced from campaign activity due to federal ethics rules and relied on McCluskie to manage the accounts. He did not recall specific conversations referenced in the indictment.

The payment scheme gained attention in April 2024 when POLITICO reported Becerra was spending $10,000 per month on what appeared to be campaign consulting from a dormant account, raising potential Hatch Act issues. His lawyers later clarified the payments were for account maintenance. A filing error listing the Podesta Group instead of the Podesta Company intensified scrutiny; Becerra said that error is what first caught his attention.

Political strategists say the scandal undercuts Becerra’s argument that his executive experience qualifies him to be governor. Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Marymount University, said the situation raises serious questions about Becerra’s judgment: “This is somebody he had a close relationship with and it raises all sorts of questions — his judgment and his ability to oversee fairly small things like dormant campaign accounts.”

Former staffers defended him. Debra Dixon said Becerra consistently insisted on legal compliance and frequently consulted the House Ethics Committee. Grisella Martinez said the misconduct of a trusted adviser “should have no bearing on Becerra’s integrity, his success, his fitness for office.”

But strategist Doug Herman said the core issue remains voters asking how a theft of this scale involving top aides went unnoticed. “If I was a voter,” he said, “I’d ask why don’t you know?”

BY YEOL JANG [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]