Newsom’s scandal playbook: Don’t dispute it.

 

As Gavin Newsom’s 20-year-old affair with a then-staffer returned to the headlines, his inner circle revived the same playbook he used as mayor when the story first broke: Don’t dispute it.

The California governor’s advisers are notably not pushing back on the essay published in Vanity Fair by Ruby Rippey, in which she gives her most detailed account yet about her months-long sexual relationship with Newsom, who was San Francisco mayor at the time. Instead, they are treading delicately in their response to the essay, striking a conciliatory tone toward Rippey.

“The story broke right before my oldest daughter was born, and now she’s a sophomore at UCLA,” said Nathan Ballard, a longtime Newsom adviser who was press secretary in the mayor’s office for much of the scandal’s fallout. “I have too much respect for Alex (Tourk), Ruby and Gavin to weigh in on what occurred back then. I’m pleased that all three of them have moved on and are happy and thriving today.”

That sensitivity carried over into private conversations, where members of Newsom’s team steered clear of disparaging comments and did not challenge Rippey’s account. The restraint echoed Newsom’s handling of the initial scandal when, after the San Francisco Chronicle broke the news, he admitted the affair at a press conference, saying “everything you’ve heard and read is true.” On Tuesday, Newsom strategists sought to downplay the affair as old news that is well-known to the public and unlikely to change his standing with voters. Still, one Newsom ally acknowledged the resurfacing of the scandal was “suboptimal,” particularly as the governor looks toward a likely 2028 presidential run.

Newsom, who is on vacation with his family, did not address the article. Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for the governor, said in a statement that Newsom “acknowledged his role and publicly apologized nearly two decades ago when he was still mayor. In the time since, he met his wife, started a family, and has focused on serving Californians. He addressed this chapter of his life, including in his memoir, and out of respect for everyone involved, does not have anything further to add.”

In the article, Rippey, then married to Tourk, a top mayoral aide, takes responsibility for the affair with Newsom, who had recently separated from his first wife. But she expresses unease with how Newsom characterized their relationship in his recently-published memoir and observes that their involvement, though consensual, was still shaped by the power imbalance between a boss and his subordinate.

“Power does not need to coerce. It only needs to exist,” she wrote. “The responsibility to hold the linen belongs to the one who holds it. That didn’t happen. But I didn’t stumble into the space left open — I saw a possibility and went for it.”

Rippey’s essay is an unflinching look at her alcohol and cocaine abuse and the disastrous impact the affair had on her marriage. It is also full of details about her encounters with the then-mayor, his compliment of Rippey’s post-pregnancy weight loss and how his now-wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom insulted Rippey once news of the affair came to light. Within hours, the New York Post had churned out multiple stories on the Vanity Fair piece.

The essay’s release — and the reaction — served as a reminder that despite Newsom’s attempts to put the matter to rest, first by his admission 20 years ago and then in his recent memoir, the episode is likely to continue to follow him into his campaign.

Dini von Mueffling, a representative for Rippey, told POLITICO that Rippey has written a memoir “about many things, including healing.” The manuscript is currently out to publishers.