Xavier Becerra Is Crumbling Under Pressure

Defensive and evasive answers on missing migrant children and corruption, limiting interactions with the press, asking for “not only tough questions” – Becerra’s been hiding because he can’t handle the pressure.  

SAN FRANCISCO — Xavier Becerra’s bad night in Sacramento is spilling over to an even worse morning – and the day is just getting started. 

Voters today woke up to a new KTLA interview, where Xavier Becerra was caught begging for preferential treatment and to be spared questions about his record. “Not only tough questions,” Becerra asked KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos, after beginning the interview trying to negotiate only softball questions and trying to tell the Emmy-winning journalist how to do her job. 

This comes just hours after his town hall in Sacramento, where he answered only three questions from voters – from a bowl of pre-screened questions curated by his staff – then took only three more questions from reporters. Becerra was pulled from the media scrum in just five minutes, after fumbling answers about his role in failing migrant children and connections to his former top aides’ corruption scandal. 

“Exploitation may have occured,” admitted Becerra when asked about his role in the 85,000 missing migrant children who were lost under his watch. 

“I’m moving forward,” he said twice, when asked to reassure voters about his ties to a corruption scandal ensnaring his own former top aides. 

These answers fall in line with a pattern of shirking accountability during his 36 years as a career politician.

“Becerra is fleeing from the press, pre-screening town hall questions, and white-knuckling his way through debates, and now we know why — because he crumbles when things get tough,” said Steyer for Governor spokesperson Kevin Liao. “Becerra’s brazen behavior and defensiveness raises serious questions about his ability to lead under pressure, and Becerra must answer with transparency and truth – it’s part of the job he’s auditioning for. California needs a governor who can answer hard questions, not one who shies away from accountability.” 

Becerra’s weakness comes as no surprise as his former colleagues in the Biden administration have spoken openly about his pattern. “When there was a crisis — it was clear he didn’t know how to handle that,” said one of his former colleagues to POLITICO last week. “He took a backseat … didn’t visibly lead,” said another of his colleagues. 

With Becerra’s true colors on full display, voters are still left with diminishing confidence and major questions left unanswered, including: 

What does Xavier Becerra know about his former aides ensnared in corruption,  and when did he know it? Last night, he was asked twice about his ties to this scandal.  Becerra’s answer? “We’re moving forward.” Unfortunately for him, the case is moving forward, too. With key hearing dates approaching, serious corruption allegations and ongoing investigations still loom over Becerra, who yesterday was named in a complaint for violating campaign finance laws. Becerra has flip-flopped on what he’s known — last November saying he authorized the payments to his former aides — but then changed his story in April, saying he did not know. So which is it? 

Becerra yesterday acknowledged that “exploitation of children may have occurred" after 85,000 migrant children lost contact with the federal government – after HE advocated for the removal of protections to keep them safe. So why did he do it? Many children were forced into labor, abuse, and trafficking. His own colleagues in the Biden administration even noted that he was slow to activate and seemed uninformed when it came to the issue.

After his flip-flop, will Becerra continue to oppose single-payer healthcare? 

One thing you can count on Xavier Becerra to do: agree with whichever lobbyists are in the room. Despite previously having supported single-payer, he recently backpedaled after a meeting held with the California Medical Association, who have lobbied against a single-payer system that would bring down costs for all Californians. He dodged the question on the debate stage 7 times last week – will he refuse to answer again?

Will Becerra keep the Chevron money? Becerra continues to be bankrolled by special interest dollars that keep costs high for California families. And with his pattern of taking Big Oil Money and refusing to prosecute them for polluting our air and water, voters deserve to know: will he put corporate profits ahead of making polluters pay?

With just three weeks left until Election Day, voters deserve answers and accountability.

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