Xavier Becerra was appointed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, creating a vacancy in the California Attorney General office.
Posted by The John Phillips Show, Checked
- Sources
- 6 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
The John Phillips ShowOct 17, 2026
Multiple sources confirm that Xavier Becerra, California's Attorney General, was picked by Biden for HHS Secretary and confirmed by the Senate on March 18, 2021, and that his departure created a vacancy in the California Attorney General's office.
A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.
What was said
… And he gave Shirley Weber the Secretary of State's job, so that's a plum to the blacks. And then he gave Alex Padilla the U.S. Senate seat, that's a plum to the Mexicans. And then this one opened up the attorney general opened up when Bakaria got appointed to be Secretary of Health and Education Services, and so he needed to give a plum to the Asians, and so he gave it to Baba Rabanta. I like Barbara about the elections, particularly in blue states like California, and we're not going to engage in that with them. …
The John Phillips Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The AP reported in December 2020 that President-elect Biden picked California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to be his health secretary.[1]
Supports. The Senate confirmed Becerra as Secretary of Health and Human Services by a 50-49 vote on March 18, 2021.[2][4][5]
Supports. San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Becerra resigned as California attorney general to move to Washington, creating a vacancy that Governor Newsom would fill.[6]
Supports. The official U.S. House history biography lists Becerra as Attorney General of California (2017-2021) and as HHS Secretary (2021-2025).[3]
Context. The post itself names the replacement as "Bakaria" and the department as "Health and Education Services", which the claim corrects to Becerra and Health and Human Services; the post's garbled wording does not change the substance.
Sources
6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 2 primary, 3 not rated
- 1Biden picks Calif. AG Becerra to lead HHS, pandemic ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Blumenthal Votes to Confirm Xavier Becerra as Secretary ...blumenthal.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 3BECERRA, Xavier | US House of Representativeshistory.house.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 4Senate confirms Xavier Becerra as HHS secretary as U.S. tries to emerge from Covid crisiscnbc.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Transition: Becerra Confirmed As HHS Secretarycap.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6One of these people could be Newsom's pick for California attorney ...sandiegouniontribune.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta was appointed to his position by Governor Gavin Newsom to fill a vacancy.True
- Xavier Becerra is the Democratic opponent running for governor of California in the 2026 election.True
- Gavin Newsom appointed Alex Padilla to a U.S. Senate seat.True
- Gavin Newsom appointed Shirley Weber as Secretary of State.True
- Rob Bonta served as a member of the California state legislature before his appointment as Attorney General.True