Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Scott Milne is renewing his call on Patrick Leahy to release Senate records related to the alleged EB-5 scandals in Jay Peak. Leahy, meanwhile, says he鈥檚 growing tired of his opponent鈥檚 tactics, and that it鈥檚 becoming evident that Milne lacks the grasp of policy needed to be an effective member of Congress. The timing and location of Milne鈥檚 news conference Monday morning was no accident. Milne invited reporters to join him outside Burlington High School at 9:30 a.m., a half hour before Leahy, the incumbent Democrat, would arrive there for a news event of his own.
With the well-manicured BHS football field as his backdrop, Milne began with what has become a stock line in his recent campaign appearances.
鈥淚 see a chasm that separates my opponent鈥檚 walk from his talk,鈥� Milne said.
In this instance, the criticism is related to an EB-5 immigrant investor program that has come under a national microscope after a series of alleged frauds in the Northeast Kingdom.
Milne says Leahy has extolled the virtues of government transparency.
"And yet he refuses to be transparent when it comes to why and how so many of his fingerprints have ended up all over the EB-5 mess,鈥� Milne says.
Specifically, Milne wants Leahy to voluntarily disclose internal correspondences by him or his staff related to controversial EB-5 projects in Vermont and elsewhere. U.S. senators are exempt from the federal Freedom of Information Act.
Milne first walked this line of attack in May, shortly after the federal Securities and Exchange Commission against Ariel Quiros and Bill Stenger, the two men accused of perpetrating a massive EB-5 fraud. Leahy was for the projects, which federal investigators say turned out to be a Ponzi-like scheme to defraud foreign investors.
"He refuses to be transparent when it comes to why and how so many of his fingerprints have ended up all over the EB-5 mess." - Scott Milne
Milne says his net has widened. And he says Leahy鈥檚 close ties with a movie industry that has sought to use the EB-5 program to bankroll studio projects now for public scrutiny.
鈥淭aken together, these facts raise legitimate questions about Pat Leahy鈥檚 interest in EB-5,鈥� Milne says. 鈥淗ow that interest developed and affected his official acts is a question I鈥檓 asking today.鈥�
A throng of students assembled in the Burlington High School lobby offered a more ceremonious reception for their guest of honor Monday morning. Leahy had come to announce receipt of a new federal grant for the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation.
Asked about Milne鈥檚 latest volley after the event, Leahy made little attempt to veil his contempt.
鈥淚 am tired of him,鈥� Leahy said. 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 want to say anything to my face, even when I see him. He only talks to you guys. He makes baseless charges.鈥�
Leahy says it鈥檚 inappropriate for Milne to intimate that he鈥檚 guilty of some impropriety.
鈥淚f he is accusing me of doing something wrong, he should call the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 office,鈥� Leahy says.
As for voluntarily releasing records related to his office鈥檚 work on EB-5 projects, Leahy deflected.
鈥淚s he going to release the stories about his trips with Jim Douglas on EB-5? Is he? Has he?鈥� Leahy said.
Leahy is referencing a trip Milne took to China and Korea with then-Gov. Jim Douglas in 2009, who was traveling to tout the rigors of state oversight of the EB-5 program.
Milne at the time was, considering using the EB-5 program for his own development project in southern Vermont. Milne, who has never held public office before, later decided against it.
Milne鈥檚 campaign says there鈥檚 a big difference between the two situations: Milne wasn鈥檛 an elected officeholder at the time of his trip. Anyway, the campaign says it encourages the Shumlin administration to release any government records related to Milne and the EB-5 program.
Leahy says it takes more than ad hominem attacks to win respect from Vermont voters.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just attack people,鈥� Leahy says. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to stand for something.鈥�
"Is he going to release the stories about his trips with Jim Douglas on EB-5? Is he? Has he?" - Sen. Patrick Leahy
Milne, however, makes no bones about the thrust of his campaign. He says he won鈥檛 have any polished policy papers, or in-depth proposals for legislation.
鈥淎nd I鈥檓 running on a platform of getting career politicians who are getting propped up by special interest money, like my opponent, out of the way,鈥� Milne says.
One specific proposal Milne says voters can count on if he鈥檚 elected: He鈥檒l introduce legislation subjecting members of Congress to the Freedom of Information Act from which they鈥檙e now exempt.
Milne says by VTDigger鈥檚 Jasper Craven further call into question the appropriateness of Leahy鈥檚 role in the EB-5 program.
Craven鈥檚 story details a 2015 report by the Inspector General at the Department of Homeland Security, which found that Alejandro Mayorkas, the former director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, had put undue pressure on federal employees to approve EB-5 proposals submitted by Hollywood studios, including Sony Pictures and Time Warner.
Leahy has accepted tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Sony and Time Warner, and his daughter now works as a lobbyist for the Motion Picture Association of America.
Leahy also received campaign contributions from the director of the Los Angeles-based EB-5 promotional center that was trying to secure federal approval for the movie projects scrutinized in the Inspector General鈥檚 report.
