{"id":385193,"date":"2026-07-03T18:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/385193\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T18:00:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T18:00:22","slug":"alexis-podesta-the-ultimate-dem-insider-rose-through-california-politics-then-wore-an-fbi-wire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/385193\/","title":{"rendered":"Alexis Podesta, the ultimate Dem insider, rose through California politics \u2013 then wore an FBI wire"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alexis Podesta has been one of Sacramento’s most influential behind-the-scenes power brokers for years \u2014 the kind of political insider whose name rarely makes headlines despite her fingerprints being all over California politics.<\/p>\n

Now, she’s become one of the FBI’s most valuable witnesses<\/a> \u2014 after wearing a wire as part of a probe that took down Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson<\/a>, according to Williamson’s attorney.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Alexis Podesta wore a wire in the FBI’s probe, according to an attorney for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff. California Senate<\/p>\n

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Newsom announced last month that he and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, are under federal investigation. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Podesta, 45, spent years climbing the Democratic political ladder before cashing in as a lobbyist.<\/p>\n

She currently owns the Podesta Company<\/a>, a Sacramento lobbying and government affairs firm launched in 2020 after leaving state government.<\/p>\n

She previously served as secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency under then-Gov. Jerry Brown from 2017 to 2020.<\/p>\n

Before that, she worked in Brown’s office as director of external affairs, director of international affairs and chief of protocol.<\/p>\n

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Podesta was appointed by Newsom to serve on a state board in 2020. California Department of Consumer Affairs<\/p>\n

Her resume also includes stints at power company PG&E, the Walt Disney Co. and as director of scheduling for the late US Sen. Dianne Feinstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When Gov. Gavin Newsom \u2014 who is now the subject of a federal investigation<\/a> \u2014 took office, he rewarded Podesta in 2020 with an appointment to the board of the State Compensation Insurance Fund, where she remains today \u2014 collecting nearly $61,000 a year from taxpayers despite emerging as a central figure in the federal corruption probe swirling around the governor’s political orbit.<\/p>\n

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Dana Williamson pleaded guilty to a series of charges in May. Rafael Fontoura for CA Post<\/p>\n

Newsom’s office declined to comment on keeping Podesta on the board despite her being an FBI’s mole, calling it a personnel matter.<\/p>\n

Podesta has been identified as “Co-Conspirator 2” in the Williamson indictment. She was accused of taking over management of former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra’s dormant campaign account after Williamson joined Newsom’s administration.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors allege the account was used to funnel roughly $225,000 through a series of sham consulting payments that ultimately benefited Becerra’s former chief of staff, Sean McCluskie. Podesta has not been charged with a crime.<\/p>\n

Her attorney, Bill Portanova, has acknowledged to other media outlets that she is the unnamed co-conspirator described in court filings, saying she began cooperating with federal investigators after uncovering what he has characterized as wrongdoing by others.<\/p>\n

Outside of government, Podesta has also served on the board of cannabis company Body and Mind Inc., advised luxury vacation-home startup Pacaso and belonged to Chief, an executive networking organization, according to her LinkedIn.<\/p>\n

Now she could add FBI wiretaps to her list of skills.<\/p>\n