FBI warns California Capitol officials their calls may have been recorded in corruption probe

By Steve Large

An FBI alert was sent out to California State Capitol policymakers and lobbyists, notifying them that the agency may have recorded their phone conversations as part of a political corruption probe.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, faces nearly two-dozen fraud-related charges, alleging that she and multiple co-conspirators took money from former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s dormant California campaign account.

CBS News Sacramento obtained a copy of one of the letters that the FBI sent out, which tells recipients that even if they were not a target of this investigation, some of their phone conversations have been recorded. The FBI said this was part of a court order allowing investigators to intercept wire and electronic communications between May and June of 2024.

Some people currently in Newsom’s office received the letter. A spokesperson for the governor said Newsom did not.

Andrew Acosta is a Democratic strategist watching the bombshell court case against Williamson, former Becerra chief of staff Sean McCluskie, and lobbyist Greg Campbell play out.

“Does it end with these three or is there other stuff that’s going to be uncovered?” Acosta said. “I think that’s what everyone is sort of wondering.”

The federal indictment naming the three includes references to wiretapping, with investigators listening to phone calls and reading text messages and emails.

This is not the first FBI investigation at the Capitol. 

In 2013, agents were seen leaving Capitol offices with boxes in a federal probe of Senator Ron Calderon and his brother, Tom Calderon, in a money laundering case.

In 2014, Senator Leland Yee was arrested in a gun trafficking case, and in 1988, the Shrimp scam case led to the conviction of 12 public officials in a bribery case.