Ruby Rippey, a former aide to California Governor Gavin Newsom, has publicly challenged his account of their 2005 affair, asserting that the governor has not been entirely truthful in his memoir.
Rippey shared her perspective in an essay published Tuesday in Vanity Fair, detailing her recollection of the affair that became public in 2007 and caused significant political fallout for Newsom, who was then mayor of San Francisco. Newsom is widely anticipated to launch a presidential campaign in 2028, following his term as governor.
In his memoir, Newsom described the affair as a "stupidest and also briefest of affairs," noting that Rippey "was drinking too much and so was I." He also recounted an instance where his sister observed Rippey "hanging a bit too close."
Rippey expressed that reading these passages in Newsom's memoir left her unsettled. She stated that Newsom's narrative implied he had taken responsibility by informing her then-husband, Alex Tourk, who was also Newsom's campaign manager. Tourk resigned after confronting Newsom, and the mayor subsequently held a press conference apologizing and characterizing the affair as a "personal lapse of judgment."
However, Rippey claims that the detail about Newsom informing Tourk is inaccurate, or at least misleading. "That detail—subtle but significant—is the one that stays with me," Rippey wrote. "It reads—to me, at least—as a version of events that gives him credit for something I had already done. Technically defensible, perhaps, but one that leaves the unmistakable impression that he, not I, was the one who told Alex the truth."
The California Post reached out to Newsom's political team for comment regarding Rippey's essay.