AG Rob Bonta spent nearly $500k on lawyers while trying to be ‘helpful’ amid East Bay corruption probe, advisor says

SACRAMENTO California Attorney General Rob Bonta spent of his campaign cash on lawyers while reportedly being interviewed by federal executives examining Oakland s former mayor and others in a sprawling federal bribery and corruption inquiry The longtime East Bay politician s senior advisor Dan Newman informed this news organization Wednesday that Bonta s legal bills were for the sole purpose of providing information that could be helpful to the examination of those implicated in the ongoing criminal probe Bonta who lives in Alameda and has worked his way from city councilman to the state s top prosecutor was never a target of the probe Newman announced The AG s involvement is over Newman added But this is an ongoing legal proceeding that we don t want to hinder with no relation to or involvement of the AG so unable to provide further information He noted the work required of those attorneys ended in the advisor explained Newman initially stated the KCRA this week that the attorney general used the campaign funds to help his law enforcement partners pursue justice in the East Bay corruption probe The Sacramento station was the first to statement Bonta s legal spending Newman later changed that stance claiming in a subsequent interview with KCRA that Bonta spent the money on attorneys for himself while being questioned by federal investigators The advisor stressed Bonta was never a target of the inspection and the funds were needed because of the nature of the charges against the people implicated the station revealed The size of Bonta s legal bills appear historically large and they reflect the fact that Bonta retained one of the premier law firms in Silicon Valley Wilson Sonsini Goodrich Rosati which routinely charges four figures an hour for its work announced David McCuan a Sonoma State University political science professor That also highlights the stakes Bonta faces as a politically ambitious state attorney general particularly one who has taken a leading stand against the current White House administration by filing dozens of lawsuits against it the professor declared His problems are the appearance of impropriety when he is the poster child against Donald Trump and the administration McCuan declared So if he has an image issue that is created by this expenditure then that is a obstacle for him McCuan added that California campaign finance law is considered murky when it comes to when candidates can use campaign cash for legal help In general campaign funding can only be used if the litigation is directly related to sessions of the committee that are consistent with its primary objectives explained Shery Yang a spokesperson for the Fair Political Practices Commission in an email While she revealed she couldn t speak specifically to this situation instances where that money can be used include defending against insists that a candidate violated voting process laws or ensuring compliance with state campaign disclosure reports The five payments to Wilson Sonsini Goodrich Rosati were made two days before Bonta informed he would not run for governor and seek reelection as attorney general in February the records show It all casts a fresh spotlight on Bonta s ties to various of the main players charged in the ongoing bribery and pay-to-play probe that has roiled the East Bay s political scene including former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Andy Duong who helps run a recycling company contracted by the city of Oakland In charges unsealed in January federal prosecutors accused former Thao of accepting bribes from Andy Duong and his father David in the form of political favors and a no-show job for Thao s romantic partner Andre Jones In return prosecutors claimed Thao promised to secure lucrative city contracts for a fledgling housing company co-founded by David Duong as well as for Duongs recycling business California Waste Solutions Thao Jones and David and Andy Duong have all pleaded not guilty and could face trial by next year Bonta has known Andy Duong for years even becoming a frequent presence on his Instagram page before federal agents raided the businessman s house in June In an August social media post Bonta was seen standing alongside Andy Duong and the famed Filipino boxer and retired politician Manny Pacquiao each of them giving a thumbs up to the camera In another Bonta appeared to be sitting in a limousine grinning at the camera with one arm around Andy Duong and another around his wife California Assemblymember Mia Bonta Cannot wait to see what else the future has to offer to you wrote Andy Duong calling the state s top prosecutor a brother while recounting his rise from Vice Mayor to State Assembly and now CA Attorney General The post included no less than nine other photos of the two together over the years often at campaign events or in one instance together at a Golden State Warriors battle Rob Bonta has since sought to distance himself from the Duongs Shortly after the FBI and other federal government raided the family s Oakland hills houses on June Bonta commented he planned to give back in political contributions that he had previously received from the Duong family The political fortunes of Thao and Mia Bonta also nearly collided several years ago Before running for mayor Thao briefly considered campaigning for the state assembly seat once held by Rob Bonta before he became the state s attorney general Instead Thao opted to run for the mayor of Oakland while Mia Bonta ran and filled her husband s post in Sacramento Bonta ties to people investigated in the corruption probe extend to an unnamed co-conspirator widely inferred to be longtime Oakland political operative Mario Juarez Bonta and Juarez enjoyed close financial and political ties such as when Bonta helped secure a million grant in from the California Potency Commission for a company that Juarez co-owned according to a filing late last year by the Alameda County District Attorney s Office They have publicly endorsed each other and have used the same office for their business dealings disclosed the filing adding that Juarez and the Bontas extensive intertwined political and business dealings are widely known Jakob Rodgers is a senior emerging news reporter Call text or send him an encrypted message via Signal at - - or email him at jrodgers bayareanewsgroup com