Column: The Sacramento Scandal is a wild card for Xavier Becerra and the governor’s race

Sacramento – So far, Gubernatorial founder Xavier Becerra has escaped the spotlight focused on Gov. Gavin Newlom on software for driving money that includes their previous calculations. But that could change.

It seems like it’s only a matter of time before one of Secerra’s campaign hawks gets caught in a Federal fraud case for fodder raiding. I just heard it: “If a candidate for Governor can’t protect his political money, he shouldn’t be trusted to protect your tax money.”

That may not be right, but this is big politics. And the word “fair” is not in the political dictionary.

Neither Becerra nor Newshom is immune to any offense.

Newloom has drawn heavy media attention because her former chief of staff, Dana Williamson, is a low-profile figure. New Newloom has also made himself a national political celebrity and a leader in the first poll of the democratically elected president. That makes him prime news copy.

Cerra is low profile by comparison, although he has achieved a very successful and prestigious job: US health secretary and Human Services Secretary under President Bidnen, California atsorressman.

It was the Cerrant State political account of Cormant of the state that was allegedly filled with $ 225,000 while he was secretary of health.

Federal prosecutors say Williamson, former Becerra Chief of Staff Sean McClusker and Sackamero Lobbyist Greg Campbell diverted money from the venture capital, putting the brand through bogus consulting firms.

McCluskie and Campbell both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and cooperating with the federal government.

Williamson, who is accused of getting close to Secerra’s political kitty when he had government ties before joining Newloom’s staff, pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud. In addition to overseeing Becerra’s account, he is accused of falsifying documents involving small business loans and filing $1 million in personal bankruptcy as business expenses on his taxes.

After news of the case broke last week with Williamson’s arrest, Newloom’s News Office said the governor had arrested him in November after agreeing to a federal investigation.

There was also a sophomoric attempt by Newloom’s spokesperson to link the Federal Case to the collusion between President Trump and the Governor of California. It’s true Trump has been referring to his “enemies.” But the FBI’s three-year investigation began under bid management.

Becerra released a statement saying “a legal accusation of impropriety by a longtime trusted advisor is a gutch punch.” He also said that he cooperated with the investigation of the US Department of Justice.

The federal lawsuit alleges that McCluskie and Williamson misled Censerra about how monthly withdrawals from his political account would be used.

The account account of almost $ 2 million was raised by a general general re-elect campaign that never happened because at that time Becerra was the secretary of health. But the money can be used for another race in the future, like governor.

The political operations I spoke with speculated that $225,000 could be spent on a political campaign without him on the show.

“Is it a story with no one watching it except for the counselors who were walking around in it?” asked Democratic Consulting Veteran Garry South. “Those of us who ran campaigns keep our heads down. I can’t imagine how this will happen.”

I asked the Ceberra campaign.

A spokesman replied that the health secretary had approved the “campaign management” payments after being misled by trusted advisers.

And, a spokesman for the agency added, Becerra was advised by a health and human rights attorney to distance himself from any “campaign or political activity” prohibited by the Federal Hatch Act and ethics rules. So he gave the responsibility of managing the account to the consultants.

He got bored and was fired.

Will it fix Secerra’s image and hurt his gubernatorial campaign? We don’t know yet. But maybe not that, if anything. His only sin, after all, was that they trusted the wrong people and followed the lawyer’s advice.

Even the biggest scandals seem to have hurt politicians in this era – Trump being the best example.

Becerra’s Chimbo may have collected money if potential suppliers wondered where their money was going and if anyone honest would be watching.

The gubernatorial race is still wide open without a real Front-Runner. There is no election that attracts voters.

The October polling at UC Berkeley’s Center for Public Administration showed paltry numbers for all candidates. The former Orange County Rep. Katie Porter led the Democrats with 11% of registered voters. Becerra was second with 8%. A whopping 44% of those surveyed were unexplained.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Blanco, a Republican, started at 13%. But no republican needs a bid for this job. California has not elected a candidate for state office since 2006.

Becerra has as good a shot at winning as anyone currently drafted. He was the top Democrat among Latinos by 12%.

But he’ll need a better answer as to why he would allow $225,000 in political donations to be held and used illegally by people he trusted.