Bloomberg Law: DOJ Leadership Ordered California U.S. Attorneys to Seek Criminal Subpoenas of State and Local Election Officials, Per Anonymous Sources

Bloomberg Law reported on October 29, 2026, citing people familiar with the matter, that Justice Department leadership directed top federal prosecutors in California to pursue criminal subpoenas of state and local officials over how they administer voting. Pressure for the grand jury subpoenas came from the deputy attorney general’s office, according to the report, shortly after a federal judge rejected DOJ’s attempt to force California to set aside up to 20,000 ballots. The report says prosecutors in Los Angeles, whose U.S. attorney’s office was described as eager to investigate, and at least one other California district began carrying out the directive. Bloomberg could not say which officials are targeted or what charges DOJ would pursue, and reported that some of the state’s four federal district offices objected to the mandate.

The directive is attributed to department leadership and the deputy attorney general’s office through anonymous sources, and the reporting does not name an individual. A department spokeswoman declined to comment on leaks about alleged grand jury subpoenas.

CalMatters, the same day, counted at least four election workers who had received criminal grand jury subpoenas over the past week: Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder employees, ordered to testify on November 4, and an Orange County subpoena delivered October 29 for records on 60 voters. A DOJ spokesperson said receiving a subpoena does not make someone a target.