What did the former News colleague involved in the corruption investigation know?

The FBI secretly eavesdropped last year when senior government adviser Gavin Newsom released a series of expletives as she filed a public records request from an anonymous person.

“Twice her!” Dana Williamson, Newsom’s chief of staff, said the F word was repeated throughout the conversation. She also called another person an “a—,” according to federal court documents released this week.

Before Wednesday, few people outside of California’s political bubble likely knew Williamson’s name.

Now she is embroiled in a scandal involving political consultants and illegal payments that threatens to haunt her former boss, Newsom, as he challenges President Trump and looks to the 2028 presidential race.

A shrewd and shrewd negotiator who navigated the worlds of Sacramento government, business and labor, Williamson is also someone who has picked unnecessary wars and launched brutal missiles, political advisers and friends said this week.

Federal agents arrested Williamson, 53, on Wednesday at her home in Carmichael, downtown Sacramento. Her attorney, former U.S. Atty. McGregor was furious about how Scott was arrested, saying she was seriously ill and needed a liver transplant.

Federal prosecutors allege she conspired to collect money from her one-time client’s state campaign accounts for fraudulent services, and falsified documents related to her COVID loan.

She is also accused of lying on her tax returns about luxury goods and services, including a $150,000 birthday trip to Mexico, which she tried to pass off as business expenses, according to the government.

Williamson, who pleaded not guilty to the charges this week, appeared in court in Sacramento. He appeared emotional during the hearing, at one point reportedly raising his cuffed hand to wipe away tears and speaking to reporters without speaking.

Court documents filed this week paint a picture of a productive actor and a fragile individual. “I’m scared,” she wrote to a colleague in a February 2022 text message as they discussed the alleged money laundering scheme, which was allegedly in the early stages of planning.

Public affairs consultant Steven Maviglio has known her since they worked in President Clinton’s administration — and later in Gary Davis’ administration. He is now trying to put together a legal defense fund for her.

He described Williamson as a “no nonsense, no BS, get it done” person who “talks straight, sometimes to the point of insulting people.”

She regularly dropped F-bombs, he added.

In another recording captured by the FBI, Williamson joined two associates at a restaurant near the state capitol in Sacramento last year. The government is questioning the money she received through her COVID loan.

She complained about the “f—” drama and said her Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan “popped” — before adding another swear word. According to federal authorities, she created false contracts to show that the COVID money was being used properly.

There is little sympathy from her detractors. Gail Duran, a former press secretary for Gov. Jerry Brown, who worked with Williamson, compared him to a “mafia boss” in an interview with CNN. She also has many advocates in Sacramento, many of them women, who see her as a tough and inspirational figure.

Details of the federal filings sent shock waves beyond Sacramento and the state Capitol this week.

“I’m shocked by this allegation and find it hard to believe,” said Alison Golden, who supervised Williamson when she worked as assistant director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Marmont from 2002 to 2004.

Golden called her “incredibly bright and well-versed in policy. I admired how she developed in her career.”

Williamson, who grew up in Santa Rosa, has moved between the private and public sectors, and has been hired by three governors, Davis, Jerry Brown and Newsom.

At Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), she worked with two other women who would be significant influences in her life: Nancy McFadden, the late advisor to Brown, and Alexis Podesta, a longtime California political insider who also appears in federal court documents this week.

Podesta is the person identified as “Cooperator 2,” but has not been charged and is cooperating with investigators, according to her attorney.

Williamson was appointed as a senior adviser to Brown and later promoted to Cabinet Secretary.

While working for Brown, Williamson publicly advocated for children’s health, testifying in favor of legislation that would eliminate the state’s private trust exemption for childhood vaccines. She said the issue was meaningful to her because she was a mother of four.

“Usually, staff don’t talk about bills, the great thing about the governor is that he respects that we are the people first,” Williamson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It was important to me.”

Business advocates praised her straightforward approach when she worked for Brown.

“She was very straightforward, she was a good person to work with,” said Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn. He said he hadn’t dealt with her in years.

She has flip-flopped between private and government work, drawing criticism from groups like Consumer Watchdog for her “foodgate” career.

In one incident, she was allegedly in Brown’s office negotiating for her energy customers as the state hammered out details about the grid deal, sparking outrage from the watchdog group.

She started her own public relations firm, Grace Public Affairs, which has managed a series of campaigns, including online sports betting initiative Proposition 27, which appeared on the 2022 ballot, but failed to pass.

Her clients included California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, and former Atty. Gen. Xavier Bequera, whose campaign funds were allegedly embezzled by Williamson and others.

In 2017, she had a close group of female friends, who also rose to their professions. But to those not in her inner circle, she was all widowed, a political insider said this week.

At the Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento, California, a bronze statue of Williamson’s then-5-year-old daughter was installed as part of a campaign to promote female empowerment following the defeat of 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

Williamson’s friends behind the statue included Robin Swanson, a Democratic communications consultant, and Angie Tate, chief donor for the California Democratic Party.

The installation was intended to mimic the “Fearless Girl” statue on New York’s Wall Street, which depicts a 4-foot-4 young woman staring intently at the famous Charge Bull statue.

In 2022, Newsom’s office announced that Williamson was joining him as his chief of staff. Although the two weren’t particularly close when she got together, she quickly became part of his inner circle, Politico reported at the time.

Anthony York, Newsom’s former communications director and former LA Times reporter, told Politico at the time that Williamson was not afraid of the governor’s popularity. “He gives zero fs, that’s part of what makes him so great,” York said.

During her time in Newsom’s office, she worked with former Senate President Darrell Steinberg on the successful passage of Proposition 1, which borrowed billions of dollars for mental health services, and was a personal issue for her family.

“I had a particularly difficult experience with my husband that I learned a lot about…when it happened to him, I learned about all the holes in the system,” she told KQED.

She moved from Elk Grove to Carmichael last year, buying a home for $1.695 million, according to property records. Records show she was associated with several homes in Elk Grove, including one that was foreclosed on in 2012.

Williamson would send combative messages, including social media posts or texts, often at night. Among her targets: California Federation of Labor President Lorena Gonzalez and U.S. Rep. Kevin Kelly (R-Rocklin), whom she called an “entertaining idiot” at X.

She took aim at former Assemblyman Kevin McCarthy during his campaign for mayor of Sacramento last year. She called him a “devil” on X and asked others not to vote for him, before her comment was deleted a few days later.

Newsom fired Williamson when she informed him last year that she was under criminal investigation. Her last day in office was in November 2024. At the time, the governor said in a statement that “her insight, tenacity and big heart will be missed.”

This week, the governor’s spokesman issued another tone: “Ms. Williamson no longer serves at this agency. While we are still learning the details of the allegations, the governor expects all public servants to maintain high standards of integrity.”