LOS ANGELES — On the debate stage, as candidates scrutinized Xavier Becerra’s involvement in Sacramento corruption, Becerra said, “Read the indictment.”
And we agree:
Becerra’s former campaign manager faces nearly two dozen federal corruption charges and is actively discussing a plea deal, while his former chief of staff pleaded guilty to stealing $225,000 from a campaign account. Becerra’s explanation for his knowledge of these payments has shifted: in November 2025, he claimed he was aware of and authorized the payments, but just a few weeks ago he changed his tune, saying that he had “no oversight.” So which is it? And tonight, Becerra failed to give a straight answer.
THE FACTS
In 2025, Xavier Becerra’s longtime Chief of Staff, Sean McCluskie, and former 2018 Attorney General campaign manager, Dana Williamson, were indicted with a variety of charges including fraud for funneling nearly a quarter-million dollars out of Becerra’s dormant campaign accounts. [CalMatters, 11/12/25]
- Sean McCluskie Had Been Becerra’s Top Staffer Since 2017. According to LA Magazine, “McCluskie was Becerra’s second in command in the California AG’s Office, going back to 2017, and he then followed his boss into the Biden Administration in 2021 when he was appointed as Secretary of Health and Human Services.”
- Dana Williamson Served As Becerra’s 2018 Attorney General Run’s Campaign Manager. According to LA Magazine, “Williamson, a top aide to Newsom until late 2024 when the FBI made it clear she was under investigation, had previously served as Becerra’s campaign manager in 2018 during his successful reelection campaign for California State Attorney General.” [LA Magazine, 11/20/25]
Becerra’s explanation of what he knew about the criminal probe and when he knew it has changed since November 2025 when he claimed he signed off on the illegal payments because he believed $10,000 per month was what it cost to hire an account manager.
- In a Live Interview, Becerra Was Reminded He Would Have Had To Sign Off On Campaign Account Filings; Becerra Said He Knew About The Payments But That His Accounts Were Left Up To Advisors. In the Fox 40 interview, he said: “I was aware of the payments that were being made. I had authorized them when I had been approached by my advisors to pay to make sure we could take care of these dormant accounts. Remember, I am now a federal official by the Hatch Act, the law, and by our ethics rules, I must stay separate from anything that’s considered political or campaign activity and so I am hiring someone to manage those accounts so that there’s no appearance that I’m trying to [inaudible].” [Fox 40, 11/15/25]
By April 2026, Becerra had insisted on multiple occasions that the payments occurred entirely “out of [his] vision” and that he had little to no oversight over them. [Sacramento Bee, 4/8/26]
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