Xavier Becerra rebukes Church of Scientology after past support resurfaces
Published By admin
Xavier Becerra is condemning the Church of Scientology after old reports and video surfaced of him speaking favorably of the organization during his tenure in Congress. Had he known what he knows now about the claims of coercive control, forced abortions, labor trafficking, and other abuse, he said, he would have never associated with the group.
“The Church of Scientology is facing the reckoning it deserves for decades of deception, abuse, and coercion,” Becerra’s campaign spokesperson, Jonathan Underland, told The Standard. “It is dishonest to apply what we know today to decisions made in the 1990s and early 2000s, before the truth was public record. In the years since, public figures and elected officials like Becerra have rightly chosen to disengage. And when it comes to this particular organization, Becerra will do what he has always done: go after powerful institutions that prey on Californians.”
Becerra’s decades of public service have proved a blessing and a curse as he surges ahead in California’s chaotic gubernatorial contest. Since stepping into the harsh spotlight at the front of the pack, the career Democrat has had to reckon with questions about his 35 years in office, not to mention a corruption scandal that ensnared some of his top aides.
One of the more obscure criticisms to surface involves his interactions with the Church of Scientology; namely, his speeches at the organization’s events and one delivered on its behalf in the halls of Congress. They all took place a long time ago, but Becerra never publicly disavowed the controversial organization until The Standard asked his campaign team about it.
Questions about Becerra’s ties to the church started a little more than a month ago with a social media post by journalist, influencer, and Democratic political operative Yashar Ali. In response to someone praising Becerra on X, Ali wrote: “Xavier Becerra, the man who protected Scientology for years?”
Read full article at link below
Content retrieved from: https://sfstandard.com/2026/05/18/xavier-becerra-scientology-support/.
