October 17, 2025 - OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday issued the following statement in response to the indictment of former National Security Advisor John Bolton:

“President Trump is continuing to use the power of the U.S. Department of Justice to punish his ‘enemies’ and reward his friends. In the process, he has so damaged the integrity and undermined the independence of the Department that now, with the indictment of John Bolton, it is impossible to tell whether the prosecution is warranted or whether it is based on the President’s personal desire for vengeance.

With three indictments in as many weeks, we cannot become desensitized to what is happening. The President of the United States has demanded the prosecution of individuals he dislikes as political retribution. And the U.S. Department of Justice, under U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, has capitulated.

This is not normal, and we cannot accept it as such.”

BACKGROUND

As California's top lawyer and law enforcement official, Attorney General Bonta has continued to defend against President Trump’s use and abuse of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (U.S. DOJ) prosecutorial power to reward his friends and punish his perceived enemies. Earlier this week, Attorney General Bonta joined a multistate coalition in seeking to intervene in the $14 billion Hewitt Packard Enterprises (HPE)/Juniper Networks merger while the merits of the settlement are evaluated by a judge amid allegations of backroom dealings after U.S. DOJ abruptly moved to settle the merger. 

Following the indictment of New York Attorney General Letitia James, Attorney General Bonta demanded that U.S. Attorney General Bondi reassert U.S. DOJ's long-standing independence and immediately end all politically-motivated criminal prosecutions. Attorney General Bonta also sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Bondi expressing grave concern with the apparently politically-influenced indictment of former FBI Director James Comey.

Source: CA. DOJ