Rippey-Tourk Incident
Newsom had an affair with his secretary Ruby Rippey Tourk—the wife of his campaign manager and good friend.
On January 31, 2007, Newsom's campaign manager and former deputy chief of staff, Alex Tourk, resigned after confronting Newsom over a sexual affair the mayor had with his wife in late 2005. At the time of the affair, Newsom was undergoing a divorce with Guilfoyle and Rippey-Tourk worked in Newsom's office as the Mayor's aide for commission appointments. After leaving her job in Newsom's office in August 2006, Tourk received $10,154 in catastrophic illness pay, which is usually reserved for those who are terminally ill; after an investigation by the San Francisco City attorney; however, Newsom and all those involved were later cleared of legal wrongdoing.
Newsom apologized for the affair at a news conference on February 1, 2007, saying, "I hurt someone I care deeply about, Alex Tourk, his friends and family, and that is something that I have to live with and something that I am deeply sorry for." After being approached by concerned colleagues, he announced that he would seek treatment for alcohol abuse. Newsom later said that the difficult times during the exposing of the affair refocused him and allowed him to better appreciate being mayor.
Read more about this topic: Mayoralty Of Gavin Newsom
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