California Attorney General Rob Bonta encountered calls for an investigation on Friday. This comes from his Republican challenger, Michael Gates, along with the California GOP. They are questioning whether political funding linked to Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings’ family influenced Bonta’s lawsuit aimed at blocking Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Michael Gates, running as the Republican nominee for attorney general in California, expressed his concerns to Fox News Digital. He stated that Bonta’s financial connections merited 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.
Campaign finance records reviewed by Fox News Digital reveal that Patty Quillin, wife of Reed Hastings, contributed $1 million to Smart Justice California Action Fund on March 16, 2022. Reporting from 2022 indicated that this independent committee was assisting Bonta and other progressive prosecutors. Later filings in California show Smart Justice donated $150,000 on May 4, 2022, to a committee supporting Bonta for Attorney General.
California GOP leaders have expressed their doubts. Corrin Rankin, the party chairwoman, described the situation surrounding Bonta’s motives.
“Rob Bonta takes Netflix money, then uses his office to kneecap a Netflix rival. With federal investigations, arrests, and guilty pleas already common in California’s one-party Democrat rule, is this about consumer protection or another political favor?” Rankin inquired.
Los Angeles attorney and GOP delegate, Elizabeth Barcohana, referred to an X post accusing Bonta’s legal move of serving Netflix’s interests.
Bonta’s office responded to these allegations through a statement, insisting that their lawsuit arose from antitrust analysis based on facts and legal norms. The office highlighted a February announcement examining Warner Bros.’ potential acquisitions by Netflix or Paramount.
The Justice Department, following an eight-month evaluation of over two million documents, came to a different viewpoint. They concluded the merger unlikely to harm competition and could enhance streaming alternatives to big names like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney.
Despite the federal and British competition regulators clearing the merger, Bonta’s state-led lawsuit remains a major regulatory hurdle. Paramount has agreed to delay closing the deal until after a regulatory ruling in June 2027, with a trial set for March.
Fox News Digital contacted Netflix, Hastings, and Assemblymember Mia Bonta for comments but hadn’t received responses.