Gavin Newsom blows up over claim he bagged $2million from Native Americans after move to block rival tribe's casino
Now the governor's office has reacted angrily to questions Daily Mail asked about the payments, called it 'insulting and offensive' to even be asked whether his official actions on behalf on the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (FIGR) amount to a quid-pro-quo..
Records show that the governor personally requested the 'behest payments' from FIGR.
The Bay Area tribe donated $1.8million to The California Partners Project, a nonprofit co-founded by Newsom's wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, and another $450,000 to fund his inaugurations.
Newsom and the state then joined the tribe's efforts to block a casino from opening just 15 miles from theirs, filing a lawsuit in May challenging the federal government's approval of the project.
Siebel Newsom wife also deflected, telling Daily Mail that we should shift focus to Donald Trump, who she called the 'grifter-in-chief' who is 'openly hawking watches, cologne, and crypto meme coins.'
Washington Free Beacon was first to report on the controversy earlier this month.
Daily Mail confirmed the findings with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, a nonpartisan group that maintains a database tracking behest payment by government officials.
Records show that from 2018 to 2024, the Californian governor has solicited a total of $2.25million from the FIGR - with the majority going to Jennifer's charity
Records show the governor has solicited a total of $2.25million from FIGR.
Two payments were earmarked for his inauguration fund, one for $200,000 in December 2018 and another for $250,000 in January 2023.
But the lion's share of these behest payments went to The California Partners Project, a San Francisco-based charity co-founded in 2019 to promote gender equity. The group employs just 2 to 10 people, according to its website.
FIGR sent its first donation to the charity in 2022, for $300,000.
The payments ramped up with an additional $500,000 in 2023 – a year the California Partners Project's total revenue came in at just $747,239.
FIGR sent the charity another $500,000 in April 2024.
This was just as the tribe, which runs Graton Resort & Casino in Sonoma County, was working to fend off competition from Koi Nation, another Northern California tribe proposing a $700million casino just 15 miles away on the 'Shiloh Site,' 68 acres of land adjacent to the town of Windsor.
The plan calls for 2,750 slot machines, 105 table games, a 400-room hotel, six restaurants and food areas, a meeting center and spa.
Just four months later, Newsom moved to quash the deal.
In August 2024, he wrote the US Department of the Interior a letter opposing the Koi project and another elsewhere in the state, emphasizing the need for 'striking a careful balance between the potential benefits of expanding tribal gaming and its potential impacts on surrounding communities.'
He also challenged Koi Nation's 'historical connection' to the land.
Koi Nation, for its part, stood firm, arguing that it had a 3,000-year presence in Sonoma and that this project would 're-establish' its tribal land base.
Speaking with the New York Times in 2024, the vice chair Dino Beltran said the casino had support from 80 fellow tribes, and that Graton Rancheria was merely interested in protecting its bottom line from a competitor.
Despite opposition from the governor and some local leaders, the Biden administration approved the project.
But Graton Rancheria continued its fight, filing suit. Meanwhile, it made sure to keep the governor and his wife happy.
In April, the tribe sent the California Partners Project another $500,000.
Just a month later, the Newsom administration stepped up its own efforts, suing the Interior Department to block federal approval of the rival casino.
'This case is about respecting the history of tribal sovereigns, protecting communities from unchecked casino-style gaming, and preventing federal administrative overreach,' Newsom and the state argued in their complaint filed in May.
According to government watchdogs, the fact that Newsom solicited money from the tribe while engaging in official action on its behalf appears shady, but on its face is not illegal, given lax campaign finance laws.
'The scandal here isn't what's illegal, but rather what's entirely legal,' Daniel Schnur, former chairman of the California Fair Political Practices Commission, told Daily Mail.
'These types of behest payments represent a large enough loophole in the laws that you can drive a semi-trailer truck through them.'
He said he expect Newsom will face attacks ads on this from opponents should he follow through on his aspirations to run for president.
But he also fully expects the governor to shout down any suggestion of a 'pay for play' scheme.
'No politician in human history has ever conceded that a contribution has affected their governing decisions,' Schnur said.
Government watchdogs told Daily Mail that snubbing Koi Nation's casino plan skirted legal boundaries - and that 'behest payments' are often used as loopholes
Daniel Schnur, former chair of California's Fair Political Practices Commission, warned the move could come back to haunt Newsom if he runs for president - calling it prime material for attack ads
Sure enough, the governor came out swinging when Daily Mail reached out for comment Friday.
'This is an absurd inquiry,' the governor's office stated when asked whether the tribe's payments influenced his support.
'Any suggestion that the governor's decisions were influenced by public, transparent donations to an independent nonprofit focused on supporting women and families isn't just baseless – it's insulting and offensive.'
First partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom's office expressed similar indignation.
'The implication that anything was done here for political advantage is completely false and misleading,' her office told Daily Mail breaking its own silence on the issue.
'The California Partners Project is an independent nonprofit organization with no role in government decision-making or policy. Neither the First Partner nor the Governor receives any personal financial benefit from its work or from any donations to the organization.
Greg Sarris, chairman of FIGR, also defended its contributions to one its greatest advocates and his wife's prized charity.
'Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria has a long history of giving to local, regional, and statewide causes that work to improve the lives of Californians,' he stated.
'In that vein, we are proud of the strong support we have provided annually to the California Partners Project since 2022.'
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