Gavin Newsom responds after ex-affair partner Ruby Rippey's explosive tell-all

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA: California Gov Gavin Newsom has broken his silence after his former affair partner, Ruby Rippey, revisited their 2005 relationship in a new tell-all essay, with his office saying the governor has already taken responsibility for his actions and has "nothing further to add."

In a statement released Tuesday, July 28, Newsom's office said the governor publicly apologised for the affair years ago and has since moved on with his personal and professional life, the New York Post reported.

"The governor acknowledged his role and publicly apologized for his conduct 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," the statement said.

It added, "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."

Ruby Rippey challenges Gavin Newsom's version of events

Newsom's response came hours after Rippey, who was married to his close friend and former chief of staff Alex Tourk at the time of the affair, published an essay on Vanity Fair, recounting the relationship and disputing aspects of the governor's recently released memoir.

Rippey wrote that the affair began after a 2005 wedding where both had been drinking. She recalled consuming wine and champagne before accompanying Newsom to a Napa Valley hotel, saying her memory of the night became fragmented.

Newsom, in his memoir, described the relationship as "the stupidest and also briefest of affairs," writing that both he and Rippey had been drinking heavily and that the affair lasted only a short time.

However, Rippey argued that his account overlooked her perspective and questioned his description of how the scandal became public.

She took issue with Newsom's assertion that he later acknowledged the affair after she disclosed it to her recovery group, saying his memoir gave readers the impression he had been the one to tell her then-husband the truth.

"That detail—subtle but significant—is the one that stays with me," Rippey wrote, adding that the account "leaves the unmistakable impression that he, not I, was the one who told Alex the truth."

Political scandal resurfaces

The affair became public in 2007 while Newsom was serving as mayor of San Francisco and nearly derailed his political career. He admitted to the relationship during a widely publicised press conference, after which Tourk resigned from his post.

The controversy has resurfaced as Newsom, who is serving his final term as California governor, is widely viewed as a potential Democratic contender in the 2028 presidential election.

Despite renewed scrutiny following Rippey's essay, the governor's office indicated he considers the matter settled, pointing to his earlier public apology and emphasising his focus on his family and serving Californians.