A briefing memo obtained by the Times appears to support former Rep. Katie Porter’s allegation that a staffer for Tom Steyer leaked video of her yelling at a staffer, an outrage that tarnished her gubernatorial prospects when the video became public.
The video, which was obtained in October by PoliticoPorter was shown lashing out at a staff member, appearing in the background of a pre-recorded Zoom call between the former congressman and then-Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
During a nationally televised interview with Dana Bash on CNN on Monday, Porter accused the Steyer campaign of leaking the damaging video.
Asked by Bash how she knew Steyer was the source, Porter said, “I believe that to be the case.” “I’ve had multiple people tell me that this is the Department of Energy video, that only the Department of Energy had it, and people can follow it to see who their campaign staffers are and understand what happened there.”
Following the CNN interview, Steyer’s campaign denied that the candidate was involved in the leak.
“Tom has nothing to do with that video,” Steyer campaign spokesman Sepi Esfahlani said after Porter made the allegations on Monday. “This is an attempt on Katie Porter’s part to deflect attention from her past mistakes. There is only one person to blame for Katie Porter standing in the race, and that’s herself.”
According to a briefing memo of the meeting obtained by The Times, Steyer spokesman Kevin Liao was listed as an “expected participant” on the video call between Granholm and Porter, which took place on June 21, 2021, and was filmed by the Biden administration to promote electric vehicles. According to the document obtained by The Times, Granholm and Liao were the only participants listed from the Energy Department.
“This is a 20-minute recorded Zoom with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to discuss the importance of investing in electric vehicles,” the document, apparently prepared for Porter and his staff, says. “Granholm’s press secretary Kevin Liao reached out to set this up. His team will edit this video into a 2-3 minute clip for social media. Secretary Granholm will have a whiteboard, as described in the script.”
The edited video conversation was posted on the US Department of Energy facebook page In early July 2021. Politico reported that the Porter staff member whom the congresswoman grabbed was not the source of the video provided to the news outlet.
The clip of the Porter-Granholm call was the second unflattering video of the candidate to surface last fall. A few days earlier, another clip began circulating, showing Porter threatening to end an interview with CBS California reporter Julie Watts after becoming frustrated with Watts’ questioning.
The pair of videos prompted his Democratic rivals in the gubernatorial race to question Porter’s temperament, a criticism that continued during the debates and throughout the heated election campaign. Although Porter became famous for her blunt questioning of witnesses in Congress, her fiery style did not garner widespread support in the 2026 California gubernatorial race.
Before the video became public, Porter had a slight lead in the race, according to a poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Government Studies, although many voters were undecided at the time. Although Porter continues to hover in the upper tier of gubernatorial candidates, he currently trails two Democrats — Steyer and former Biden Cabinet member Xavier Becerra — and one Republican, former Fox News host Steve Hilton.
The UC Irvine law professor has repeatedly said he has apologized to the staffer, who spent four more years working in Porter’s congressional office. Dozens of former employees also came to his defense in an open letter last month.
Liao declined to comment when reached Wednesday evening. He is the primary spokesperson for Steyer’s campaign and sent out a press release in November announcing the San Francisco billionaire’s campaign for governor. When Granholm was contacted via text message, she denied leaking the video and said she did not know who did it.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Liao, a Los Angeles-based political consultant, worked as Granholm’s press secretary from January to October 2021, when the Porter video was recorded. In 2024, he founded a consulting firm called FrontRunner Strategies, which has been paid more than $45,000 by Steyer’s campaign, according to campaign finance records.
Porter’s campaign declined to comment on the document.
Voting is underway in the primary election to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term limited and is exploring a 2028 presidential bid.
Wednesday’s Emerson College poll showed Democratic former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra leading with 19%, followed by Republican former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Steyer, both with 17%. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, had the support of 11% of likely voters and Porter had the support of 10%. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Supt. Public instruction Tony Thurmond was in single digits. According to the survey, twelve percent of voters were undecided.
The top candidates except Thurmond are scheduled to appear in a Thursday night debate hosted by CBS California and the San Francisco Examiner.
