A Steyer campaign staffer linked to a video of Katie Porter’s opponents yelling at staffers
A brief memo obtained by The Times appears to support former member Katie Porter’s allegations that an employee of Tom Steyer leaked a video of her berating a staffer, an outburst that tarnished her ministerial chances when the video went public.
The video, obtained in October by Politico, showed Porter blasting a staffer after a recorded Zoom call between the former minister and then-Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
During Dana Bash’s nationally televised interview with CNN on Monday, Porter blamed the Steyer campaign for leaking the damaging video.
“I’m confident it is,” Porter said after Bash asked how he knew Steyer was the source. “I have been told by many people that it is a video of the Ministry of Energy, it was held only by the Ministry of Energy, people can follow the trail of who are his workers in the campaign and understand what is happening there.”
After the CNN interview, Steyer’s campaign denied that the candidate was involved in the leak.
Gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer hosts the “LA Block Party,” a campaign event at East LA College in Monterey Park, CA on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Rocky Mosse, 9, waits his turn to take a photo with Steyer.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
“Tom had nothing to do with that video,” Steyer campaign spokesman Sepi Esfahlani said after Porter made the accusation Monday. “This is Katie Porter’s attempt to deviate from her past mistakes. Katie Porter has only one person to blame for her position in the race, and that is herself.”
According to a brief memo on the meeting obtained by The Times, Steyer spokesman Kevin Liao was listed as an “anticipated participant” in the video call between Granholm and Porter, which took place on June 21, 2021, and was recorded to promote electric cars by the Biden administration. Granholm and Liao are the only participants on the Energy Department’s list, according to a document obtained by The Times.
“This is a 20-minute Zoom recording with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to discuss the importance of investing in electric vehicles,” the document was apparently prepared by Porter and his staff. “Kevin Liao, Granholm’s press secretary, reached out to stop this. His team will edit the video into a 2-3 minute clip for social media. Secretary Granholm will have a whiteboard, as noted in the text.”
The edited video interview was sent to the US Department of Energy Facebook page in early July 2021. Politico reported that the Porter staffer tapped by the congressman was not the source of the video provided by the news source.
The clip from the Porter-Granholm call was the second unflattering video of the candidate to surface last fall. A few days ago, another clip went viral, showing Porter threatening to end an interview with CBS California reporter Julie Watts after becoming frustrated with Watts’ questions.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm speaks at the launch of the Global Methane Pledge on the fifth day of the UNFCCC COP29 Climate Conference on November 15, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
(Sean Gallup / Getty Images)
The two videos prompted his Democratic rivals in the gubernatorial race to question Porter’s attitude, a criticism that has lingered during debates and throughout the hotly contested campaign. Although Porter is best known for his blunt questioning of witnesses in Congress, his tough style has not translated into widespread support in the 2026 California governor’s race.
Before the videos became public, Porter had the edge in the race, according to a poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, although many voters at the time were undecided. Although Porter has continued to fly in the top tier of gubernatorial hopefuls, he currently trails behind two Democrats — Steyer and former Biden cabinet member Xavier Becerra — and a Republican, former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
The UC Irvine law professor has repeatedly said he apologized for the job, which he spent four years working in Porter’s congressional office. A number of former employees also defended him in an open letter last month.
Liao declined to comment when reached Wednesday evening. He is the chief spokesman for Steyer’s campaign and sent out a press release announcing the San Francisco billionaire’s bid for governor in November. Granholm, when reached via text message, denied that he leaked the video and said he did not know who leaked it.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Liao, a Los Angeles-based political consultant, served as Granholm’s press secretary from January to October 2021, when Porter’s video was recorded. In 2024, he founded Frontrunner Strategies, a consulting firm that was paid more than $45,000 by Steyer’s campaign, according to campaign finance records.
Porter’s campaign declined to comment for this document.
Voting continues in the first election to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited and is exploring a 2028 presidential bid.
A Wednesday Emerson College poll showed former US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra leading at 19%, followed by former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Republican Steyer at 17%. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, was supported by 11% of likely voters to Porter’s 10%. San José Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and State Supt. of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond was in the single digits. Twelve percent of voters were undecided, according to the poll.
Top officials, except Thurmond, are expected to appear in a Thursday night interview hosted by CBS California and the San Francisco Examiner.
