Ruby Rippey, a former Newsom staffer, offers new details on their affair two decades ago

(CNN) A former staffer who had an affair with Gavin Newsom over 20 years ago offered extensive details in an essay published Tuesday by Vanity Fair, taking issue with how the California governor has more recently characterized what happened.Newsom, then the mayor of San Francisco, admitted in 2007 that he had an affair in the years prior with Ruby Rippey, his appointments secretary and the wife of his campaign manager, Alex Tourk. Rippey has not spoken much about the scandal as Newsom has risen in politics and emerged as a potential 2028 presidential contender.In the Vanity Fair piece, Rippey criticizes Newsoms description of the affair and its fallout in a memoir he published earlier this year. He wrote that it was the briefest of affairs, and recounted how he came clean to Tourk, a close friend.That detailsubtle but significantis the one that stays with me, Rippey wrote.

It readsto me, at leastas a version of events that gives him credit for something I had already done.Newsom had filed for divorce from his wife, former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, before the affair, but the relationship with his subordinate was an early political stumbling block for Newsom. Tourk resigned after confronting Newsom about it, and Newsom later held a news conference where he said, Everything youve read is true and Im deeply sorry for that.Still, he was reelected later that year with over 73% of the vote.The Governor acknowledged his role and publicly apologized nearly two decades ago when he was still mayor, Newsom spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement responding to Rippeys essay. 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.Newsoms personal life is likely to come under more scrutiny if he runs for president in 2028.The governor, who has since married Jennifer Siebel Newsom, has been open about his interest in a possible White House bid as he has urged fellow Democrats to stand up more to President Donald Trump and fight fire with fire.Writing for Vanity Fair, Rippey traces the start of the affair to the summer of 2005 and said it coincided with a period in her life when she was struggling with alcohol addiction. She said she was accountable for her actions but noted that …