Gavin Newsom spent the last week on a book tour telling Black audiences he's "just like them" because he scored a 960 on the SAT.
When a national reporter had the nerve to ask a simple follow-up question, Newsom's taxpayer-funded communications director told her to go to hell.
Now the receipts are in – and California is footing the bill for one of the most unprofessional political operatives in the country.
Izzy Gardon's $212,000 Salary – and the Dyslexia Question He Refused to Answer
Susan Crabtree is a veteran national correspondent for RealClearPolitics with decades of experience covering Washington.
Her question to Newsom's office was straightforward: could the governor provide any paperwork confirming the dyslexia diagnosis he's been using to deflect racism accusations?
Newsom has publicly claimed he was diagnosed in 1972 – when he was roughly five years old – and that he found the childhood paperwork after his father died in 2018.
Crabtree even offered Newsom's team an easy win: "Any information you provide, I can distribute it immediately on X to combat critics who are doubting the diagnosis."
That's when communications director Izzy Gardon typed four words that are now ringing across conservative America: "Respectfully, f— off."
Fox News followed up, asking Gardon whether he was speaking for the governor and whether Newsom approved the response.
Gardon confirmed it: "Yes, Susan can f— off."
Then he added the kicker – "The governor literally has no idea who Susan is."
State records from Transparent California reveal exactly what California taxpayers are funding.
Gardon started in government in 2019 as an administrative assistant earning roughly $30,000 a year.
By 2024, his total compensation had reached $212,154.02 – $152,091.05 in regular pay, nearly $57,000 in benefits, and $3,141 in additional pay.
His current salary is likely higher; the state doesn't publicly disclose it.
That's presidential-level pay for a man whose signature move is telling award-winning journalists to go to hell.
Gardon isn't just burning bridges with conservatives.
Garry Tan – a Democratic donor and CEO of Y Combinator – called him "the most unprofessional person to ever work in politics" and said he "brings shame to the Newsom campaign."
Earlier this month, Gardon referred to Nicki Minaj as a "stupid hoe" on X, then defended the post by pointing to her 2012 song of the same name.
When the California Post asked about Newsom skipping his own state budget presentation, Gardon dismissed the outlet as the "New York Comic Book." Informed that the San Francisco Chronicle had reported the same story, Gardon told the reporter he'd "put that outlet in the same bucket."
Newsom's 960 SAT Score, a Racist Accusation, and a 2028 Campaign Already on Fire
The dyslexia story deserves scrutiny for one reason: Newsom himself made it the story.
When critics pounced on his "960 SAT guy" comment in Atlanta – a remark widely condemned as pandering to his Black audience – Newsom didn't apologize.
He leaned into the dyslexia defense, firing back at Sean Hannity on X: "You're going to call me racist for talking about my lifelong struggle with dyslexia?"
Crabtree pointed out an inconvenient detail: Newsom posted a photo of himself "reading some banned books" in 2022 – which undercuts the claim that he literally cannot read.
In another instance, Newsom reportedly described finishing a 300-page book in under two hours.
You don't get to build a presidential campaign on a medical claim and then tell reporters to go to hell when they ask for documentation.
Here's the pattern every conservative has been watching: Newsom and his team spend every waking hour accusing Republicans of threatening democracy and attacking the press – then they turn around and call national correspondents "MAGA bloggers" and tell them to f— off for asking a single legitimate question.
Newsom's senior communications advisor Bob Salladay called Gardon's approach "creativity and imagination."
Another word for it is cowardice – hiding behind a $212,000 salary to bully reporters while your boss auditions for the presidency by relating to Black voters through his SAT score.
Susan Crabtree has covered Washington for decades.
She asked one question.
And Gavin Newsom's $212,000 spokesman – paid for by California taxpayers – showed exactly how much press freedom means to the team that claims to defend it.
Sources:
- Alec Schemmel and Cameron Cawthorne, "Newsom staffer who told California reporter to 'f— off' is raking in massive taxpayer-funded salary," Fox News, February 27, 2026.
- "Gavin Newsom spox tells reporter 'f— off' when asked for records of his dyslexia diagnosis," Fox News, February 24, 2026.
- Brianna Lyman, "Newsom Spox Indicates He'll Only Talk To Reporters He Agrees With," The Federalist, February 24, 2026.
- "Aide to Gov. Gavin Newsom curses at reporter who questioned governor's dyslexia diagnosis," The Hill, February 24, 2026.
- "'Respectfully, f*** off': Newsom press team blasts RCP reporter over dyslexia question," Just The News, February 24, 2026.