Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed his former chief of staff Dana Williamson’s guilty plea in a federal corruption case, calling her actions “just wrong” and denying he is implicated in any way.

“I just literally, as I was in the elevator someone mentioned it,” Newsom said after wrapping up a speech laying out California’s upcoming budget.

“It’s hard, I just think of her daughter, but I”m also mindful of accountability,” Newsom said.

Williamson pled guilty to counts of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, subscribing to a false tax return and making false statements at Robert T. Matsui U.S. Courthouse in Sacramento Thursday.

The Sacramento power broker, who was Newsom’s chief of staff from 2022 to 2024, was charged in November 2025 with 23 counts in what prosecutors called a scheme to skim $225,000 from a dormant campaign account of Xavier Becerra.

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Asked about her admission of lying to the FBI, which took place when she was working in Newsom’s office, the governor said, “that was wrong.”

“We have high ethical standards and that’s just wrong, period,” Newsom said.