FBI Mole Secretly Recorded Newsom Allies Before Corruption Probe Expanded: Report

The federal corruption investigation surrounding California Gov. Gavin Newsom is revealing just how deeply the FBI penetrated his political circle.

A new report says Democratic insider Alexis Podesta secretly wore a wire during the bureau’s investigation into Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson — months before the probe widened to include the governor, his wife and members of their inner circle.

The disclosure sheds new light on why Sacramento lawmakers, lobbyists and political operatives were blindsided last fall when the FBI informed them their phone conversations had been intercepted, despite many having little or no apparent connection to Williamson.

“Alexis wore a wire, and Dana did not,” Williamson attorney McGregor Scott told the New York Post.

Williamson pleaded guilty in May to federal fraud and tax charges. Prosecutors have not accused Newsom or his wife of wrongdoing, and no charges have been filed against either of them.

Republican Assemblymember Josh Hoover said he was among those who received an FBI notification even though he had never spoken with Williamson or Podesta.

🚨 WOW! The FBI had a mic’d up MOLE inside Gavin Newsom’s political orbit before the DOJ launched a CORRUPTION investigation into Newsom and his wife, Jennifer — NYP

This is HUGE!

No wonder Gavin is livid.

“Democrat insider Alexis Podesta, 45, secretly recorded conversations… pic.twitter.com/Z9lTMzmY35

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 3, 2026

“A lot of people received letters essentially informing us that there were certain periods of time where the FBI was given access to follow phone calls,” Hoover said. “It sounds like they cast a pretty broad net across the Capitol community to see what they could find.”

Another source familiar with the matter said several Sacramento insiders received similar letters, with one recipient reportedly saying, “Dude, I got this f—ing letter. I never even met with Dana Williamson!”

The revelations come just weeks after Newsom disclosed that federal investigators are examining him, his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom and members of the governor’s inner circle. The investigation is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

Within hours of announcing the investigation, Newsom’s political team sent supporters a fundraising email for his political action committee, portraying the probe as politically motivated.

The investigation remains ongoing, and the scope of federal investigators’ interest in the governor and those around him has not been publicly detailed.

But the newly revealed use of a wired cooperating witness suggests authorities were quietly gathering evidence inside California’s political establishment long before the probe became public.

More over at The New York Post:

Gavin Newsom appointee wore FBI wire in corruption probe https://t.co/ONdLxrlT6q pic.twitter.com/ryIT26Iad3

— New York Post (@nypost) July 2, 2026