California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who assumed office on Wednesday following a tap from Gov. Gavin Newsom, formerly sponsored a controversial bill to allow Communist Party members to hold office in the Golden State.
Bonta, while he was a Democratic assemblyman in the California State Legislature, in 2017 spearheaded AB 22, which was designated as a “cleanup” to remove purported unconstitutional language, some of which served to bar communists from serving in California’s government. The legislation was dropped after it passed the Assembly floor as it drew ire from Republicans, who insisted the effort was offensive to military veterans and immigrants who fled oppressive regimes.
“Why in the world are we so generous about Communist Party members?” Orange County Assemblyman Steven Choi asked at the time.
Another GOP figure, Travis Allen of Orange County, said, “In my district alone, we have the Vietnamese Americans who had to flee a communist regime. Which is why they’re now in Orange County.”
NEWSOM SKIPS SCHIFF AND PICKS ROB BONTA AS FIRST FILIPINO AMERICAN ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CALIFORNIA
Bonta apologized for the bill, leading six members of his own Democratic cohort to vote against it.
“Through my conversations with veterans and members of the Vietnamese-American community, I heard compelling stories of how AB 22 caused real distress and hurt for proud and honorable people,” he said in a statement at the time. “For that, I am sorry.”
Newsom picked Bonta to serve as attorney general after Xavier Becerra, who formerly held the role, was picked by President Joe Biden to helm the country’s Health and Human Services Department. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, who served as an impeachment manager during former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial on Ukraine-related charges, was reportedly being considered for the position.
“Rob represents what makes California great – our desire to take on righteous fights and reverse systematic injustices,” Newsom said of Bonta’s nomination on Wednesday. “Growing up with parents steeped in social justice movements, Rob has become a national leader in the fight to repair our justice system and defend the rights of every Californian.”
He continued: “And most importantly, at this moment when so many communities are under attack for who they are and who they love, Rob has fought to strengthen hate crime laws and protect our communities from the forces of hate. He will be a phenomenal Attorney General, and I can’t wait to see him get to work.”
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Bonta vowed to “work tirelessly every day to ensure that every Californian who has been wronged can find justice and that every person is treated fairly under the law.”
Neither Bonta’s office nor Newsom’s press team responded to requests for comment from the Washington Examiner.
