California AG burns almost $500K in campaign funds for legal defense, raising questions about legality

Democrat California Attorney General Rob Bonta confirmed he spent nearly $500,000 in campaign funds on legal services after authorities questioned him during a federal bribery investigation, with questions lingering about the move’s legality.

Local outlet KCRA3 reported Monday that Bonta’s team spent $468,000 from his 2026 reelection campaign on services provided by the law firm Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati. Bonta campaign adviser Dan Newman told the outlet Tuesday the money covered legal assistance when the attorney general was questioned by federal investigators.

In January, Oakland businessmen David Trung Duong and Andy Hung Duong were indicted by federal officials on bribery charges and making false statements to government agents, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California. Funding records show the two donated $24,300 to Bonta’s reelection campaign. The Duong family writ large gave a total of $155,000.

Bonta’s campaign told KCRA3 that the donations were returned once the investigation began. Newman maintained the legal spending was “absolutely proper,” arguing it was necessary given “the nature of the charges against the people implicated.”

Newman also said Bonta‘s involvement in the investigation has officially concluded, and that the attorney general’s wife, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, did not use campaign funds for her legal services, according to the outlet.

Bonta’s campaign did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

Loyola School of Law Professor Jessica Levinson told KCRA3 the only clear justification for using campaign funds would be if the investigation were directly tied to the Duongs’ donations. Under California’s Fair Political Practices Commission rules, candidates may use campaign funds to defend against defamation, allegations of campaign violations, or to secure ballot access.

Election watchers speculated Bonta would enter the 2026 California gubernatorial race. However, during a press conference in October, the attorney general confirmed he will be “staying out” of the governor’s race, adding he will remain “central” as attorney general in California’s legal “fight.”

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