The spending raises questions about the permissible use of campaign funds after the California attorney general engaged outside counsel while providing information in a federal equity-and-bribery investigation.
Campaign finance records reveal that Rob Bonta, California’s Attorney General, authorized payments totaling approximately $468,000 from his 2026 reelection fund to the law firm Wilson Consini Goodrich & Rosati for “professional services (legal, accounting).”
According to his campaign adviser, Dan Newman, the funds were used to engage outside counsel while federal authorities questioned Bonta during the investigation into alleged bribery in Oakland—specifically the probe involving former Mayor Sheng Thao and the business family of David Duong and Andy Duong.
Newman told KCRA, “the AG was never a target of the investigation” and alluded to Bonta needing counsel “because of the nature of the charges against the people implicated.”
The payments raise questions regarding the permissible use of campaign funds under California law. The California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) says legal services paid from campaign funds must relate to “the solicitation or use of campaign funds or compliance with disclosure or election laws.”
Legal-ethics expert Jessica Levinson observed the uncertainty: “In this case, the only connection I can see … would be whether or not the investigation began with the Duongs’ donations to the AG account.”
The controversy centers on the fact that the firm was paid before Bonta publicly affirmed he would not pursue the governor’s office and instead run for re-election as attorney general. The filings show five separate disbursements in 2024 from a campaign account that held roughly $6.2 million as of October.
While the campaign has stated the funds were “absolutely proper,” it remains unclear exactly how much of the money went to defending the Attorney General personally rather than assisting the investigation.
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