Bianco says there is no legal basis for the Attorney General to stop the ballot investigation

At a March 20 news conference, Sheriff Chad Bianco said the Attorney General's office had asked him to halt the ballot investigation without giving a reason, that there was "no legal justification for the Attorney General to stop a lawful investigation", and that the investigation would continue under the court's jurisdiction. He described it as a physical count of the ballots compared with the reported vote total.

“I was contacted by a representative of Attorney General Bonta and asked to halt this investigation until after March 6th. No reason was provided and there is no legal justification for the Attorney General to stop a lawful investigation. … Under direction of the court and the court's jurisdiction over all evidence, this investigation will continue despite A.G. Bonta's attempts to stop it. A.G. Bonta is part of the executive branch of this state. Under the separation of powers principle, A.G. Bonta does not have authority over the court or evidence, and I will carry out my constitutional duty to pursue justice impartially. … This investigation is simple. Physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes reported.”