The left blasts Trump business deals but ignores Dem wiretap sleaze

Where’s the outrage from the left?

The same crowd that’s incensed by President Donald Trump’s business dealings has made few public objections to corruption sleaze involving close allies of Gov. Gavin Newsom and his heir apparent, Xavier Becerra.

This week, The California Post broke a bombshell story: The attorney for former Newsom chief of staff Dana Williamson said that Alexis Podesta, longtime insider and Newsom appointee to a cushy state board, had quietly cooperated with the FBI — wearing a wire to record conversations for two years.

This was during the probe into Williamson, who was indicted last year on 23 counts of bank and wire fraud, filing false tax returns and making false statements to the FBI.

In May, Williamson pleaded guilty to three of those counts for her role in a scheme to siphon roughly $225,000 from a dormant Xavier Becerra campaign account. Prosecutors said the funds were routed via sham payments to benefit Sean McCluskie — Becerra’s longtime chief of staff.

McCluskie himself pleaded guilty in 2025 to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud.

Federal investigators have since expanded their scrutiny to include matters concerning Newsom himself and separate probes of his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s nonprofit finances and taxes.

The California Post has also reported that Podesta herself is under investigation by the California Fair Political Practices Commission for allegedly failing to report $1 million in consulting income.

Podesta’s decision to record former colleagues doesn’t just “say” the case had teeth; it screams that the Democrat machine can turn on itself when federal pressure mounts.

Clearly, this evolved into a scandal that should not just have Republicans, but also Democrats and their media allies, in full investigative mode.

At the heart of the corruption scandal, after all, are the former top aides of both the current and likely next governor. 

These were not low-level assistants, distant from the men in charge.

Still, the response from the left has been decidedly, strategically, quiet.

Reactions from Newsom-aligned Democrats — former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Sen. Adam Schiff, state Sen. Scott Wiener — nothing public, as of the writing of this column.

The familiar chorus of virtuous outrage is strangely mute.

Mainstream leftist outlets like the New York Times, CNN and MSNBC have been subdued on the Podesta wire specifics.

They scramble to cover anything with a hint of scandal involving Trump. 

They did cover Newsom’s June announcement that he and his wife were under investigation, albeit leaning into claims of political retaliation by Trump.

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But the fresh details of an insider apparently flipping and recording conversations in the governor’s orbit? So far, mostly crickets.

Compare this to how the same ecosystem treats corruption or influence-peddling stories involving Republican figures: exhaustive series, multiple angles, endless expert panels questioning systemic rot and presumptions of guilt dialed up to 11. The scandal would dominate headlines for weeks.

This selective silence isn’t some grand conspiracy. 

It’s the predictable outcome of partisan incentives in a media landscape where alignment with Democratic power in deep-blue California means softer scrutiny.

The implications for California politics are hard to overstate. 

Newsom, term-limited as governor, has long eyed a national stage and a 2028 run for president. Association with a scandal involving his former top aide — upon whom the governor lavished praise even as she resigned while under federal investigation — undermines any polished reformer image he might cultivate.

Broader voter sentiment in California only sharpens the sting. 

Polling consistently shows frustration with government performance, rising costs and perceptions of insider dealing. 

National surveys reflect widespread belief that corruption is a systemic issue across all politics. 

In this climate, the left’s muted response to a scandal in its own backyard doesn’t rebuild trust; it erodes it further by signaling that some misconduct matters less.

It all depends on the team jersey.

The usual amplifiers of outrage are strangely quiet.

The double standard isn’t subtle — it’s glaring.

Richie Greenberg is a political commentator based in San Francisco.