The federal investigation into a financing deal orchestrated by Jane Sanders when she was president of Burlington College has become a political liability in Washington, D.C. for her husband, Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The investigation hinges on what claims Jane Sanders made to People鈥檚 United Bank as Burlington College was applying to borrow money to finance the purchase of its North Avenue headquarters in 2010.
In a June 22 article, Politico Magazine provided an and the questions surrounding the land deal that some say doomed the small liberal arts school. Now, the Republican National Committee is sending email blasts to Vermont reporters calling for more coverage of the investigation and Sanders' unwillingness to talk about it.
Jane Sanders鈥� tenure at Burlington College has been the source of controversy 鈥� and Republican criticism 鈥� in Vermont. Now, after in April that Jane Sanders is the target of a federal investigation, the Republican Party apparatus is trying to draw increased attention to the investigation and make it a political problem for Sen. Sanders.
While Jane Sanders鈥� tenure at Burlington College ended in 2011, it wasn鈥檛 until 2016 when Sen. Sanders was running for president that federal investigators started asking current and former college officials about the 2010 land deal.
That鈥檚 not an accident; the federal investigation came after Brady Toensing 鈥� a Washington, D.C. attorney who serves as the co-chair of the Vermont Republican Party 鈥� sent to the Department of Justice formally .
Federal investigators contacted Burlington College鈥檚 then-president Carol Moore about the land deal weeks after Toensing鈥檚 letter, Moore said.
The FBI and the office of the U.S. Attorney for Vermont have both declined to confirm or deny the presence of an investigation, but multiple former college officials say they鈥檝e heard from federal investigators who were asking about the land deal.
Now, the Republican National Committee is working to ensure that the Burlington College investigation stays in the news. On June 23, RNC Regional Communications Director Ellie Hockenbury sent out an email blast.
鈥淪omeone other than Kyle Midura of Burlington TV station WCAX might care to also bring this up the next time he or she interviews Bernie or Jane Sanders,鈥� the email said before linking to the Politico Magazine story.
Another email from Hockenbury, sent June 27, came with the subject line 鈥淏ernie isn鈥檛 having any of it鈥� and provided links to stories from , , (in a video posted to the "GOP War Room" YouTube channel) and about the Burlington College issue and, specifically, Sen. Sanders鈥� unwillingness to talk about it.
Hockenbury鈥檚 second email opens with the line: 鈥淨uestions are mounting over an FBI investigation into Bernie and Jane Sanders for bank fraud, but Bernie isn鈥檛 answering any of them鈥︹€�
The RNC emails don鈥檛 provide any new information that hasn鈥檛 been in the news already, but they鈥檙e a clear effort to generate interest in 鈥� and coverage of 鈥� the Burlington College investigation and the couple鈥檚 response to the investigation.
The RNC also seems to subtly suggest that Sen. Sanders himself is under investigation, but there is no publicly available evidence that federal authorities are looking into Jane Sanders. In fact, the only suggestion that Sen. Sanders has any connection at all to the Burlington College land deal came from the same place as the original investigation request: Brady Toensing sent a letter to federal authorities asking them to look into whether Sanders improperly used his influence as a U.S. senator to help his wife鈥檚 professional efforts.
"No one is aware of anyone in the Senator's office being contacted about Burlington College." 鈥� Jeff Weaver, Sanders family spokesman
In a May 25, 2016 letter to the U.S. Attorney for Vermont, Toensing wrote that he was 鈥渁pproached and informed that Senator Bernard Sanders鈥� office improperly pressured People鈥檚 United Bank to approve the loan application submitted by the Senator鈥檚 wife, Ms. Sanders.鈥�
Toensing provided no additional evidence to support his claim, nor did he name the source of his information.
In an email to VPR on May 8, 2017, a spokesman for the Sanders family said that investigators had not contacted Bernie Sanders鈥� Senate staff.
鈥淣o one is aware of anyone in the senator鈥檚 office being contacted about Burlington College,鈥� said Jeff Weaver, Sanders鈥� former campaign manager who now serves as a spokesman for the Sanders family. 鈥淣or should there be any reason to believe anyone would be,鈥� he added.
While the investigation is increasingly a political headache for Sen. Sanders, there鈥檚 no public evidence that he is a target of the federal investigation into his wife鈥檚 actions at Burlington College. Former college officials say investigators鈥� questions were focused on Jane Sanders and her handling of the land deal, but none of them said they were questioned about Sen. Sanders himself.
That doesn鈥檛 stop Sen. Sanders鈥� political opponents from making suggestions of wrongdoing. With Sen. Sanders鈥� bristly responses to questions about Burlington College making headlines in Washington, those suggestions are proving enough to keep the Burlington College issue in the news.
