Gavin Newsom faces fresh scrutiny as sordid cheating scandal that nearly derailed his political career a decade ago is detailed in splashy tell-all

By SHAWN COHEN, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 14:22, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 14:25, 16 July 2026 One of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's ugliest scandals is threatening to wreak havoc on his reputation and White House aspirations as his former staffer and lover prepares to 'set the record straight' in a splashy tell-all, the Daily Mail has learned. Ruby Rippey Gibney, the staffer who had an affair with Newsom back in 2007 when he was San Francisco's mayor, is now preparing to spill on the cheating saga that destroyed her marriage and damaged the reputation of the man who now aspires to be president.  The former San Francisco City Hall aide's piece will run in Vanity Fair in August - nearly two decades after her sordid tryst with Newsom threatened to derail his political career and ended her marriage to Alex Tourk, Newsom's close friend and campaign adviser. A source who has read the most recent draft of the article told the Daily Mail: 'The story in Vanity Fair paints an unflattering picture of Newsom.  'Gibney expresses deep laments and deep sorrow that she had cheated on Alex Tourk, who she clearly loves and values as a friend and partner in parenting,' the source said. 'You get the feeling when you're through reading this piece that if Ruby could go back in time, she would wish that she never got drunk and that she never carried on this affair with Newsom.' 'Ruby considers herself responsible for the affair with then Mayor Newsom but also believes Newsom's power and his failure to establish boundaries cannot be ignored. Her conclusion is that both realities can be true at once.' In his Young Man in a Hurry book, Newsom portrays the affair as a passing fling. Ruby Rippey Gibney, the staffer who had an affair with Gavin Newsom in 2007 when he was San Francisco's mayor, is now preparing to spill on the cheating saga One of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's ugliest scandals is threatening to wreak havoc on his reputation yet again when the splashy tell-all is published next month He writes he and Gibney were both 'drinking too much' and after a party at his apartment, she was the last to leave, leading to what he calls the 'stupidest and also briefest of affairs'. 'Newsom makes it seem like it was a one-time, two-time thing, but it was a much deeper, ongoing affair than he described,' the source told the Daily Mail. 'And I think it's going to raise concerns about how honest Newsom has been about this incident as well as about other matters.' 'You get a much more thoughtful look at this affair than Newsom's, frankly, 'slam, bam, thank you, man' depiction in his book.'  Another source close to Gibney insists she has no intention of presenting herself as a victim. 'This isn't a hit piece about Gavin Newsom,' the source told the Daily Mail. 'Ruby takes accountability for her actions, as she always has. 'While she's setting the record straight, her intention is for people to understand that healing and thriving post a scandal is possible.' The cheating scandal exploded back in 2007 when then-San Francisco mayor Newsom publicly apologized after it surfaced that he had been sleeping with his City Hall appointments secretary. At the time of the affair, Ruby Rippey Gibney (right) was married to Newsom's close friend and campaign adviser Alex Tourk (left). Tourk resigned and filed for divorce shortly after the cheating came to light Then-San Francisco mayor Newsom was held a press conference in 2007 where he publicly apologized for sleeping with his City Hall appointments secretary. He is pictured just moments after admitting to the affair Gibney has since remarried and has two sons: one with her now ex-husband and the other with her current husband, Ryan Gibney.   She now works in the private sector and recently celebrated 20 years of sobriety, the source added. When news of the affair became public, Tourk immediately filed for divorce, while Newsom issued groveling apologies and declared that he would seek treatment for alcohol abuse. Gibney, for her part, briefly addressed the extramarital affair on social media in 2018 when Newsom launched his gubernatorial campaign. She expressed regret that the affair had destroyed her personal life but insisted that the relationship with Newsom was consensual. 'I fully support the #metoo movement. In this particular instance, however, I am doubtful that it applies,' Gibney wrote on her Facebook page. 'Yes, I was a subordinate, but I was also a free-thinking, 33-year-old old adult married woman & mother. (I also happened to have an unfortunate inclination towards drinking-to-excess & self-destruction.)' While the affair was devastating to her personal life, she added that it inspired her to quit drinking. She told the LA Times in 2018 that her Facebook post was not 'about 'absolving' anyone for anything. But I do want to make sure that the #metoo movement is reserved for cases and situations that deserve it.' Gibney has since remarried and has two sons: one with her now ex-husband and the other with her current husband, Ryan Gibney (pictured above) Newsom was also asked around that time why voters in California should consider him for governor given his past indiscretions. 'I would say the same thing that I said (then) to the voters in San Francisco: that I acknowledged it. I apologized for it. I learned an enormous amount from it,' Newsom said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. 'And I am every day trying to be a champion and a model - not just for women and girls - but to deal with the issue that we need to focus on, which is the crisis with men and boys in this state and in this country.' In another interview with Politico in 2018, Newsom offered additional regrets, saying: 'I've hurt someone I care deeply about, Alex Tourk.' 'And that is something I have to live with.' Gibney was reportedly spotted hanging out with Newsom as early as 2005, according to the Chronicle. Newsom was still married at that time to Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former prosecutor in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Newsom and Guilfoyle announced their separation that same year and finalized their divorce in early 2006. Newsom is now married to Jennifer Siebel, with whom he has four children Gibney was reportedly spotted hanging out with Newsom as early as 2005. Newsom was still married at that time to Kimberly Guilfoyle but the couple finalized their divorce in 2006 Guilfoyle remarried later that same year to furniture heir, Eric Villency. She later divorced him and got engaged to Donald Trump Jr., a years-long relationship that ended when the first son started dating and eventually married Bettina Anderson. Gibney, meanwhile, left her City Hall job in 2006 to seek treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. Her departure fueled speculation that she was forced out as rumors about her relationship with Newsom were making the rounds at City Hall. Gibney was also given $10,154 for 'catastrophic illness pay' from the city, which resulted in an investigation. A report by the City Attorney's Office, however, cleared her and Newsom of any wrongdoing. In 2012, Gibney appeared on a short-lived Bravo reality TV show, Miss Advised, about dating and relationships. Newsom is now married to Jennifer Siebel, with whom he has four children. The Daily Mail has reached out to Governor Newsom's office for comment.