Are the Rats Jumping Gov. Newsom’s Ship Over BYD Chinese Mask Deal?
Newsom’s legislative secretary Anthony Williams and his deputy cabinet secretary resigning
By Katy Grimes, August 14, 2020 7:50 am
Could Gov. Gavin Newsom’s controversial $1.4 Billion deal for masks with Chinese BYD, an electric bus makernow manufacturing N95 masks, be coming back to bite him in the behind?
The governor’s “chief Lobbyist” and Legislative Secretary, Anthony Williams announced his resignation Thursday, along with his deputy cabinet secretary Dan Seeman.
A Twitter thread, now deleted, made many wonder not only what is going on, but who is putting pressure on reporters to hold information, and why.
Politico reported:
“Just days before the crush of September bill-signing, two key members of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s staff will leave their posts, the governor’s office announced Thursday night,” Politico reported. “Newsom’s legislative secretary Anthony Williams and his deputy cabinet secretary Dan Seeman are both resigning, according to an email from chief of staff Ann O’Leary that was released Thursday. (emphasis Politico)
Remember, Anthony Williams was knee-deep in Governor Gavin Newsom’s dubious $1 billion BYD China mask deal: “Did Anthony Williams, Gov. Newsom’s “chief Lobbyist” and Legislative Secretary, facilitate the BYD deal?” California Globe reported.
Politico reported:
“Anthony Williams, Newsom’s point man on legislation, will leave Sept. 1 after the close of the legislative session. He cited personal and family issues in returning to Southern California, including helping his children with the school year, according to the letter to staff from O’Leary. …
“O’Leary said that she and the governor have asked Angie Wei, a special adviser to Newsom and former California Labor Federation lobbyist, to work closely with chief deputy legislative secretaries Joey Freeman and Stuart Thompson “to oversee the legislative bill signing and to help us as we undertake a search for a permanent successor.”
Calmatters reporter Matt Levin posted the above Tweet, and then deleted it.
Then he posted this:
Following Levin’s original Tweet, Ben Adler with CapRadio replied:
The Globe reported: Did Anthony Williams, Gov. Newsom’s “chief Lobbyist” and Legislative Secretary, facilitate the BYD deal? Did he receive a cut of the deal?
The Legislature cancelled the August 11 hearing of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, abandoning all efforts highlight the spending of billions of taxpayer dollars on personal protective equipment with companies like China-owned BYD and Blue Flame. In April, lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a letter demanding details of the agreement, saying there was too little transparency in spending those massive taxpayer dollars, California Globe reported.
California Globe, with help from Dana Point Attorney Craig Alexander, filed California Public Records Requests in April with Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the involved agencies for the contract the governor made with Chinese company BYD for 200 million surgical masks. Office of Emergency Services eventually made the contract public.
We are still receiving documents, purchase orders, emails, and communications from Office of Emergency Services, the Treasurer, the Controller, General Services, and the governor’s office.
California Globe connected the dots to the important players in Newsom’s Chinese BYD mask deal, and we are not done yet. Refresh your memory HERE: Gov. Newsom’s BYD Mask Deal Profitable for Insider Dealmakers.
Katy Grimes, the Editor of the California Globe, is a long-time Investigative Journalist covering the California State Capitol, and the co-author of California’s War Against Donald Trump: Who Wins? Who Loses?
