California Attorney General Rob Bonta faced calls Friday from Republican challenger Michael Gates and the California GOP for an investigation into whether political funding connected to Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings' family influenced the 12-state lawsuit Bonta filed in federal court in California to block Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros.Discovery.Gates, the Republican nominee for California attorney general, told Fox News Digital the financial relationship warranted an investigation."Rob Bonta has turned his taxpayer-funded office into a favor factory for his political bosses and donors.
He's pursuing politically-motivated litigation against a competitor for a company that's bankrolled his PAC," Gates said.California Attorney General Rob Bonta is facing calls for an investigation over a Netflix-linked donation trail as he seeks to block Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros.Discovery.
DAVID ELLISON BREAKS SILENCE ON PARAMOUNT-WBD MERGER FIGHT, CNN INSIDERS DON’T BUY ‘LIP SERVICE’ ABOUT NETWORK"This reeks of corruption, which has been an all-too-common pattern for him, and further shows why he's wholly unfit to serve as our state's top law enforcement officer.This all warrants an investigation into his activities to uncover the full truth about Bonta's conduct," he said.Campaign-finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital show Hastings' wife, Patty Quillin, contributed $1 million to Smart Justice California Action Fund on March 16, 2022.
Fox News Digital reported in 2022 that the independent committee was working to boost Bonta and other progressive prosecutors.A subsequent California filing shows Smart Justice contributed $150,000 on May 4, 2022, to a committee called Communities for Justice Supporting Rob Bonta for Attorney General 2022.California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks as California Governor Gavin Newsom looks on during a news conference at Gemperle Orchard on April 16, 2025 in Ceres, California.(Justin Sullivan/Get...