Steve Hilton tells Becerra to quit Calif governor’s race after staff scandal
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Xavier Becerra has had to fend off attacks from his rivals in the California governor race; Following this, a pair of his former staffers pleaded guilty in a campaign finance scandal on the same day as the controversy.
After two of Becerra’s staffers pleaded guilty Thursday to siphoning money from an inactive campaign account to supplement their salaries, questions arose about whether the former Health and Human Services secretary knew about or assisted in the law; This is a clear violation of federal restrictions on the use of campaign funds for personal purposes.
The guilty pleas complicate a tense political landscape for Becerra, the Democratic candidate to replace outgoing California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Steve Hilton, one of the Republican leaders in the crowded field, said at Thursday’s debate that knowledge of the plan should bar Becerra from further holding the office.
FORMER TOP BIDEN OFFICIAL REVEALS HIS SCANDAL PAST DURING HEATED DEBATE: ‘MORE FRAUD’
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democratic candidate for governor, speaks at a roundtable meeting with representatives of the Child Guidance Center in Santa Ana on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (Leonard Ortiz/MediaNews Group/Orange County, credited via Getty Images)
“Today, we learned that he knew about illegal and improper payments from his campaign account to his former chief of staff,” Hilton said.
“Honestly, it pains me to say this because I personally like you, Xavier, but you shouldn’t be on this stage. You shouldn’t be in this race. You should be preparing your criminal defense,” Hilton added.
Becerra denied any wrongdoing and said: expression Ahead of Thursday night’s debate: “I did nothing wrong. Case closed.”
Sean McCluskie, the candidate’s former chief of staff, and Dana Williamson, a California political strategist, pleaded guilty to stealing $225,000 from a dormant campaign account that Becerra previously used to run a state-level office.
McCluskie and Williamson withdrew payments from Becerra’s war chest in increments of $7,500 to $10,000 between 2022 and 2024, according to prosecutors.
DOJ ANNOUNCES GAVIN NEWSOM’S FORMER CHIEF OF PERSONNEL CHARGED WITH A $225,000 FRAUD AND CORRUPTION SCHEME
Democratic candidates Antonio Villaraigosa, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer and Xavier Becerra and Republican candidates Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco participate in the California gubernatorial debate ahead of the June 2 primary election at the East Los Angeles College Auditorium on May 5, 2026 in Monterey Park, California. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
Under Federal Election Commission regulations, government employees are prohibited from using campaign funds for expenses unrelated to the election or official duties.
Becerra countered the attacks during Thursday’s debate, saying he was not named in the lawsuit.
Fellow Democratic candidate Katie Porter, a former congresswoman, said her defense was not proof of innocence.
“The quote was that you were not named in the charging documents,” Porter said.
“But as you know, you also know that because you are a trained attorney, that doesn’t preclude an indictment being filed against you,” he continued. “We do not know what Dana Williamson said about your involvement, and the government will have the opportunity to explain this at a later time.”
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President Joe Biden makes remarks on reproductive rights as Vice President Kamala Harris and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra hear from him during an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on July 8, 2022. Biden signed an executive order on access to reproductive health care. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
In his role as HHS secretary, Becerra advised President Joe Biden during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2021 to 2025.
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He began his political career as an assistant attorney general in California and served in the California State Assembly from 1990 to 1992. Becerra later served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2017, then became California attorney general from 2017 to 2021, after which he was appointed to lead HHS.
The California primary elections will be held on June 2. The top two candidates will advance to the general election on November 3.
