Bonta says the sheriff misused investigative tools and defied his request to pause

Attorney General Rob Bonta said election fraud can be investigated but that misusing criminal investigative tools without evidence of a crime undermines trust, and that after he asked Sheriff Bianco to pause and preserve evidence, Bianco "pressed forward" with the seizure. He said the court had made clear that "this kind of defiance cannot stand" and that voted ballots belong in the custody of elections officials.

“Election fraud can and should be investigated. But misuse of criminal investigative tools — without any evidence that a crime was committed — needlessly undermines trust in our elections system and in law enforcement. After the Sheriff took the extraordinary step of obtaining warrants to seize control over voted ballots, I made a modest request to him: pause your investigation, preserve all evidence, and provide the information needed for my office to review the allegations. Instead, Sheriff Bianco pressed forward with the seizure of hundreds of thousands of ballots. The Court has now made clear that this kind of defiance cannot stand, that the Attorney General has the authority to intervene when sheriffs take improper action, and that voted ballots belong in the custody of elections officials.”