Every president has his favorite aide.
In Donald Trump's case, it's Natalie Harp. And if Gavin Newsom should run and become president of the United States, he might well look to his former Deputy Chief of Staff Lindsey Cobia, who insiders
say would 'run through a wall' for him.
Indeed, some have likened Cobia to Trump's 'Human Printer' Natalie Harp, the 35-year-old platinum blonde who shadows Trump, 80, in the White House and on the road as his executive assistant.
But bringing on Cobia, 36, once named one of Capitol Hill's '50 Most Beautiful People,' might not sit well with Mrs Newsom.
Cobia was known as Gavin Newsom's 'Swiss Army Knife' and was too close for comfort for Jennifer Siebel Newsom, 52, according to sources who have worked with the California governor. The first partner kept a close eye on their togetherness.
'Jen told people she felt Lindsey was obsessed with her husband,' one longtime confidant of Siebel Newsom told the Daily Mail.
Said another Newsom insider: 'It's the worst kept secret in California politics...the long-simmering tension between Lindsey and the first partner.'
A few incidents illustrated the discord. Cobia had been scheduled to travel to Scotland in October 2021 as part of an advance team for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, only to have Newsom cancel at the last minute.
Then California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom is seen looking at a phone screen with Lindsey Cobia – his Deputy Campaign Manager before she was his Deputy Chief of Staff – after a campaign stop in 2018
Newsom and wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom attended the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Opening Night in September. 'Jen told people she felt Lindsey was obsessed with her husband,' one longtime confidant of Siebel Newsom told the Daily Mail
The governor declared he bowed out after his children staged an 'intervention' begging him not to miss Halloween.
But the California Globe, a conservative publication that has taken a hard line on the governor, reported that he pulled out of the trip after his wife found out Cobia would be there.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, a member of Newsom's team at the time confirmed 'this is actually what happened,' saying that the first partner, who was preparing to join the trip, 'flipped out' when she learned Cobia was already there preparing for their arrival.
In March, Newsom took a detour on his book tour to attend Jesse Jackson's funeral in Chicago. He had Cobia join him.
But a Newsom confidante tells the Daily Mail his wife was upset that she wasn't included, particularly because she had her own connection to the late civil rights icon. Jackson's niece Brenda Robinson serves as chair of Siebel Newsom's nonprofit, the Representation Project.
Under pressure from Siebel Newsom, according to the confidante, Cobia was quietly nudged out of her leadership role at the Campaign for Democracy, the governor's political action committee that she joined in 2023.
Newsom's consultants set her up with what was intended to be a 'soft landing,' joining Democrat Eric Swalwell's gubernatorial campaign as a strategist.
The timing proved exceptionally poor, given Swalwell's implosion weeks later over sexual misconduct and assault allegations, which he has denied.
'Lindsey made herself irreplaceable,' one longtime colleague told the Daily Mail, describing her as Newsom's strategic partner involved in all manners of political decisions. Twitter photo
The latest flareup occurred in March, after Newsom took a detour on his book tour to attend Jesse Jackson's funeral in Chicago. He had Cobia join him
Some have likened Cobia to Trump's 'Human Printer' Natalie Harp (pictured with Trump)
Cobia then shifted to become a senior adviser to the gubernatorial campaign of Xavier Becerra, another Democrat and the clear frontrunner in the race to succeed the term-limited Newsom.
Whether she sticks with Becerra if he becomes governor is an open question.
Insiders say Cobia is still smarting over the stripping of her duties within Newsom's PAC, even as her contract technically extends into next year.
She has continued to do some consultant work for Newsom but has rarely been seen in his presence since the spring.
But she may be invited back into the fold should he run for president and was told of an opportunity to lead a new super PAC supporting his candidacy, according to the Newsom confidante.
Asked for comment by the Daily Mail, Izzy Gardon, a spokesman for Newsom, insisted there has been no 'falling out' and that Cobia continues to be a key part of his political operation.
He said the governor has made no decisions about staffing a hypothetical campaign or any outside organization supporting one.
'This is nothing more than sexist gossip,' Gardon said. 'Lindsey remains a senior adviser to the Governor and a key part of his political operation.'
Meanwhile, Gardon refuted what he called a 'debunked conspiracy theory' about Newsom's Scotland trip.
Regarding the Jackson funeral, he confirmed that Cobia went with Newsom and that his wife didn't attend, but said there were others with Newsom that day. He said the first partner's non-attendance was due to 'last-second logistical constraints.'
Cobia, 36, was once named one of Capitol Hill's '50 Most Beautiful People.' She was considered Newsom's 'Swiss Army Knife,' according to sources who have worked with the governor
Lindsey Cobia's husband, Michael Redding, was hired as the governor's Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Public Safety
Cobia, who was born in Texas and grew up in the Bay Area, began her political career in 2012. She started out interning for Congressman Lynn Woolsey of California, then became a staff assistant to House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer on Capitol Hill.
That same year, the then-22-year-old was selected by The Hill for the publication's 'most beautiful' list.
'A cup of coffee with Lindsey Cobia is a light affair until you realize you're in the presence of a pro,' the Hill reporter wrote in a glowing profile, alluding to her prior management of a coffee shop.
'It's not Cobia's only obsession,' the writer continued, noting she was also a Harry Potter fanatic who had attended all of the movie premieres dressed as Draco Malfoy – Potter's adversary – because his platinum blond hair resembled hers.
The rising star moved back to California in 2016 to serve under then Lt Governor Newsom, managing the campaign to pass his Prop 63 gun control ballot initiative.
A staffer at the time likened Cobia to the hyper-ambitious high schooler, played by Reese Witherspoon, who runs for student body president in the movie Election.
'She's Tracy Flick,' he told the Daily Mail. 'Intense, will knock people over to get what she wants.'
Cobia went on to serve as Newsom's deputy campaign manager for his winning race for governor in 2018. She then became deputy chief of staff when he took office.
'Lindsey made herself irreplaceable,' one longtime colleague told the Daily Mail, describing her as Newsom's strategic partner involved in all manners of political decisions.
'She was a utility player and did comms, did press, did strategy, did politics,' another source said. 'You name it, Lindsey would have a finger on it.'
She'd also handle Newsom's social media accounts and write messages that she'd post in the governor's name.
'Lindsey is very good at her job, very skilled and very adept at keeping the trains running on time,' one source said. 'There are reasons why Newsom wanted her around. She was extremely loyal to him.'
Some in Newsom's orbit, however, said the two have sometimes appeared very close and expressed a concern about the optics.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom (far left) with Newsom and their four children (Source: Jennifer Siebel Newsom/Instagram)
California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, at the dedication ceremony for the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago
One mentioned how, a couple of times, the governor and his deputy chief of staff were seen side-by-side in the governor's mansion uncorking a bottle of wine as other staff left for the day.
'There was chatter,' one former Newsom official told the Daily Mail.
'She's not coquettish, flirtatious or anything like that,' another insider said of Cobia. 'However, she is from central casting. And sometimes they'd appear a little too close.'
The Daily Mail was unable to find anyone who claims to have seen the two cross a physical line or any evidence of an affair. But that hasn't stopped people from gossiping, including among members of Newsom's own inner circle.
'It doesn't help that that Newsom has priors when it comes to attractive blonde staff,' another insider said, referencing Newsom's admitted affair with his appointments secretary when he was mayor.
His relationship with Ruby Rippey-Tourk, who was married to Newsom's campaign manager Alex Tourk, nearly derailed his career when it was exposed in 2007.
Siebel Newsom, who was Newsom's girlfriend at the time, was pressured to apologize after she blamed Rippey-Tourk for the affair.
Newsom, left, listened to a woman speak while campaigning for governor in San Francisco in 2018, with Lindsey Cobia nearby holding a Starbucks cup
Ruby Rippey Gibney (formerly Ruby RIppey-Tourk), the staffer who had an affair with Gavin Newsom in 2007 when he was San Francisco's mayor, decided to spill on the cheating saga
Cobia entered the picture in 2016. At the time, she was engaged to a career prosecutor, Michael Redding, whom she'd marry the next year. He'd later get hired as the governor's Deputy Cabinet Secretary for Public Safety.
'Throughout the eight years, there was just this conflict between the governor's spouse and the governor's closest personal staff member,' a former staffer told the Daily Mail.
'A whole bunch of people would be on the receiving end of Jen's rants about Lindsey saying things like "why is she with him," "why does she have so much power," and "why is she not posting photos that I'm in?"
'Every six months to a year, there would be some sort of blow-up involving Jen,' said the staffer, citing the Scotland trip as a case in point.
'There had been a whole bunch of meetings set up, then there was a big internal blowup and he pulled down the trip and things just went dark.'
'The truth is Lindsey had more power over Newsom's schedule and whereabouts and words than Newsom's own spouse did,' said another Newsom insider.
'On election night gatherings, Lindsey was not supposed to even be there in the room when Jen was there.'
After five years in the governor's office, Cobia was given a new role leading Newsom's PAC in 2023, working to boost Democrats in red states.
It came as a relief to some inside the government.
'She was not in the immediate mix in the way she was, which was good,' an insider said.
But Cobia continued to work for Newsom as a senior political adviser and campaign strategist.
The Daily Mail has reached out to Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Lindsey Cobia for comment.
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