Essayli is employing a novel approach in his first months on the job: prosecuting rioters.
Bill Essayli, the new U.S. attorney for California’s central district, needs residents of the Golden State to understand that California is not exempt from complying with federal law.
Democratic politicians have convinced Californians that the state is a “real sanctuary” from federal policies they dislike. That misguided attitude, Essayli told National Review in a recent interview, explains the chaos that has broken out in his first two months on the job.
As immigration-enforcement raids began in Los Angeles earlier this month, rioters took to the streets, setting fire to cars, injuring law enforcement officers, blocking the 101 Freeway, and damaging government vehicles.
“You’re seeing what I call a public temper tantrum because they conditioned people to believe over the last few years that California is special or really is exempt from federal law. It’s not,” says Essayli, the son of Lebanese immigrants who came to the U.S. legally.
He said the public reaction makes it “more challenging” for federal law enforcement to do its job, but not impossible.
“We are still going out and doing our enforcement operations. We have not stopped, we will not be deterred, and the only thing that’s going to happen is you’re going to see more resources come to our district to make sure we can successfully complete that mission.”
“If they don’t like the number of National Guard that are here now, they should see how many we get if this continues,” he warned.
Essayli announced new federal charges this week against several L.A. rioters, including Alejandro Orellana, who faces charges of conspiracy to commit civil disorder and aiding and abetting civil disorder after he allegedly passed out face shields to violent rioters.
“These face shields are designed to protect from chemical splashes and flying debris, which helps protect violent agitators from less than lethal weapons deployed by law enforcement,” Essayli said during a news conference on Tuesday.
When the FBI executed a search warrant at Orellana’s home, agents found a wrist rocket–style slingshot, ammunition, plastic goggles, and a notebook with abbreviations for “All Cops are Bastards” and “murder.”
Adam Charles Palermo also faces federal charges for his alleged role in attacking California Highway Patrol officers. He is facing charges of attempted arson of a vehicle used in interstate or foreign commerce.
“[Palermo’s] social media account contained a collage of photographs and videos depicting a man holding flying debris, a CHP patrol car on fire, and various other damage to CHP patrol cars,” Essayli said.
The hostility of everyday Californians is being encouraged by their leaders, Essayli points out. He was present when Senator Alex Padilla (D., Calif.) interrupted a news conference given by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week. Noem’s security detail quickly removed Padilla from the room, pushed him to the ground, and handcuffed him.
Essayli, who was standing near Noem, recalls seeing an “extremely large, tall individual start charging at us and screaming.”
“We had no idea he was there,” Essayli said. “I’ve never met him before. I didn’t know he was there. I wasn’t expecting him to be there and so the security detail did its job.”
The whole thing played out in a matter of seconds, he recalled.
But despite these distractions, Essayli entered his new role in April ready to get to work.
Essayli, a Chapman University Law grad, worked in private practice after graduating before spending two years as a Riverside County prosecutor. He then spent four years as an assistant U.S. attorney.
He ran unsuccessfully for state assembly in 2018, before winning election to the legislative body four years later as the first Muslim elected to the California State Assembly.
He says his past prosecutor roles have made him “well equipped to know how to prioritize the resources of the office” to get the best outcomes.
“I think it would be really hard to come into one of these positions not having been a frontline prosecutor,” he said, while his time in the legislature gives him a “different perspective.”
“It’s a bigger viewpoint, a more global viewpoint of what’s going on in our criminal justice system, what’s going on with the political side of the world and how it tries to impact or sort of alter what’s going on in the justice world.”
The reality of that political world, Essayli says, is that the state criminal system is “totally broken” because of lawmakers in Sacramento who are “beholden to a progressive ideology that prison is an oppressive system and that people who are incarcerated are somehow the victims.”
“I think what people need to understand is the people in power in Sacramento are radical and they are intent on emptying the prisons and they do not care what the consequences are.”
But Essayli’s job now is not to push back against the state system.
“My job is to be the U.S. attorney for this district,” he said. “What that means is we are going to do our job to keep the public safe. It might make our job harder because we probably have to do more work and pick up the slack for the state of California. I’m going to do my job. I’m going to focus on prosecuting federal crimes and we’re going to try to get the worst of the worst out of society and hopefully make California a safer place.”
The recent events in Los Angeles are proof that the state is unable to keep order in its streets, he said, pointing to “two days of total lawlessness” before the National Guard was called in by President Trump.
Essayli said his office’s top priority right now, as directed by the Trump administration, is immigration enforcement.
“We are spending a considerable amount of resources going after criminal illegal aliens, something that hasn’t been done, probably, in years.”
But Essayli is also looking to use his post to help deweaponize the Justice Department. He wants to return to the DOJ’s “bread and butter” — going after cartels and violent, organized crimes, as well as cleaning up entire neighborhoods from gangs.
“That’s what the federal government does best,” he said. “We can go in and arrest an entire gang at once and really clean up a neighborhood overnight.”
Essayli, as a former state lawmaker, has also prioritized tackling public corruption in his new role. One of his first moves as U.S. attorney was launching a task force to look at potential fraud and waste in the state’s spending on homelessness, which has amounted to $24 billion over five years, with “nothing really to show for it.”
Representative Ken Calvert (R., Calif.) told NR he’s known Essayli for more than 10 years. “In that time he’s proven time and time again that he’s a relentless and effective defender of the rule of law.”
“Soft-on-crime Democrats love to attack Essayli because he is clear, calm, and convincing in exposing the danger of their radical policies,” he said.
And attack they have.
Politico published an article last week describing Essayli as “California’s MAGA prosecutor” who “makes Democrats squirm.”
“Democratic politicians say they fear being seen at immigration protests, confident that Essayli will seize any chance to put former colleagues behind bars and revel in the fallout,” he said.
Assemblymember Corey Jackson told the outlet, “As legislators, we know fully well that if he has an opportunity and can somehow connect us to any violence or any disruptions that are going on, he is going to try to arrest us.”
Essayli dismissed the suggestions that he’s out to use his newfound power for revenge.
“I always find it odd when the left accuses you of something they do themselves,” he said. “They seem to be projecting because they’re the ones who charged, indicted and tried to imprison their political opponents.”
He pointed to the several criminal cases that were brought against President Trump, but ultimately dismissed after he was reelected in November.
“We’ve done nothing of the sort,” he said. “We follow the law, we follow the evidence. Senator Padilla was not arrested. He’s not been charged.”
“I have a feeling if the shoe was on the other foot and that was a Republican senator, they probably would’ve charged him.”