Following Politically Motivated Indictment of Attorney General James, Attorney General Bonta Demands Independence of U.S. Department of Justice

OAKLAND — Following the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today demanded that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi reassert the long-standing independence of the U.S. Department of Justice and immediately end all politically-motivated criminal prosecutions. In a strongly worded letter, Attorney General Bonta reminded U.S. Attorney General Bondi that prosecutors have a solemn responsibility to wield power in a fair and impartial manner, always driven by the facts and the law. According to public reports, senior career attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice and the then-acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik Siebert, believed the case against Attorney General James was weak and did not merit presentation to a grand jury. Still, President Donald Trump engaged in a public pressure campaign against Attorney General James, culminating in yesterday’s indictment by a federal grand jury in Virginia.

“The indictment against my esteemed colleague, New York Attorney General Letitia James, should send chills down all of our spines,” said Attorney General Bonta. “President Trump is actively targeting those he views as his enemies, and the U.S. Department of Justice is blindly doing his bidding. Yesterday, it was Attorney General James, and two weeks ago, it was former FBI Director James Comey. Who will be the next target tomorrow? In a democracy, we should never have to ask that question. I’m urging U.S. Attorney General Bondi to do the right thing: Protect the U.S. Department of Justice’s independence.”

Attorney General Bonta previously sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Bondi in the wake of the apparently politically-influenced indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. In today’s letter, Attorney General Bonta writes that: 

• Attorney General James has exercised her duties with the utmost fidelity to the Constitution. That fidelity led her to pursue legitimate claims of financial fraud against President Trump and his business organization under New York State law. Those claims were brought to a New York state court, which in a civil judgment, affirmed Attorney General James’ charges.
• Yesterday’s indictment, and the so-called investigation that preceded it, is retribution for the work Attorney General James did to hold President Trump accountable for his unlawful conduct.
• Politically motivated prosecutions have no place in our system of justice. They erode the faith Americans should have in their public servants and run contrary to the rule of law. 

A copy of the letter can be found here.