California AG Rob Bonta returning $155K of Duong contributions
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The California Attorney General is returning $155,000 of campaign contributions given to him by members of Oakland's Duong family, who were raided by the FBI in June.
In an email to KTVU on Wednesday, Nathan Click, a spokesman for Rob Bonta's campaign, wrote that the attorney general is giving that money to charities "out of an abundance of caution."
He identified the charities as: Youth Alive, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, Giffords, Moms Demand Action, and the Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence.
This announcement comes after Politico and other news outlets reported that the Duong family, including extended relatives and their business entities including Cal Waste Solutions, donated that sum to Bonta's campaigns over the years.
Bonta is one of several politicians, including U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna and Congressional candidate Jennifer Tran, who have returned Duong money.
The Duongs have donated millions of dollars to candidates for federal, state, and local office over the past several decades.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao addresses FBI raid and more
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao gave her first interview with a news organization on Tuesday following the FBI raid on her house at the end of June.
And before the FBI raided the homes of father David Duong and son Andy Duong, as well as Cal Waste Solutions on June 20, members of the family are still being investigated by the state Fair Political Practices Commission and Oakland Public Ethics Commission.
They are facing allegations that they channeled money through "straw donors" to the committees local politicians and Oakland City Council members, who have voted on contracts that have benefited them.
The Duongs have said they have done nothing improper or illegal.
The FBI also raided the home of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao on the same day.
She, too, has said repeatedly that she is not the target of the investigation and has done nothing wrong.