Ruby Rippey, whose affair with then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom became public in 2007, has detailed the encounter and revealed advice she received from Kamala Harris, who was then the San Francisco District Attorney. Rippey shared her account in an essay published Tuesday in Vanity Fair.
Rippey, who was married to Newsom's then-campaign manager Alex Tourk and served as Newsom's appointments secretary, stated that Harris advised her to "pause" and avoid public comment or a book deal as the scandal unfolded.
"She listens, then says simply: ‘I wouldn’t say anything right now, Ruby. Just pause. More time will give you better perspective,’" Rippey claims Harris told her.
The Affair and Its Aftermath
The Vanity Fair essay chronicles Rippey's struggles with alcoholism, the subsequent breakdown of her marriage, and her journey toward sobriety. Rippey also questioned how Newsom framed the affair in his memoir, stating that Newsom's book incorrectly claims he was the one who "came clean" to her husband. When she inquired about the book's accuracy with a Newsom advisor, she was told, "Well, we all remember things differently, don’t we, Ruby?"
Rippey described the affair as beginning while she worked at City Hall, recounting encounters that included hot tub sessions, overnight stays in hotel rooms, and visits to Newsom's penthouse. She noted that while she entered the affair willingly, she later recognized the potential role of a power imbalance, stating, "power does not need to coerce. It only needs to exist."
One interaction Rippey recalled took place at a Mexican restaurant after the birth of her first child, where Newsom allegedly commented, "Hey — you look really good ... You’ve lost all your pregnancy weight."
Public Revelation and Apology
After Rippey informed her husband of the affair via email, Tourk confronted Newsom and resigned from his position. The affair then became public, leading Newsom to admit to the affair in a 2007 news conference and announce he would seek treatment for alcohol abuse. Rippey characterized the encounters as fueled by addiction and a desire for proximity to power, noting, "There is sex, but it isn’t the point. The point is proximity — to power, to being chosen, to feeling newly visible — no longer muted by pregnancy, by new motherhood, by the strain of white-knuckling long stretches of sobriety."
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Newsom and Harris for comment but did not immediately receive a response.