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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe GOP is Starting a Bernie Sanders Witch Hunt
From Paste magazine: You'll Never Believe This, but Republicans are Starting a Bernie Sanders Witch Hunt. (Well yeah, I can believe just about anything evil Republicans can do):
If youre unfamiliar with this newest GOP inquisition, you can read a story by Harry Jaffe on Politico that promotes the scandal as a byzantine, mysterious, and potentially sordid affair with no easy answers. However, I recommend that you do not read that story, because its godawful in its desperate attempt to paint this as something more than drummed-up political hackery. Jaffe manufactures fog for fogs sake, all to give the story a veneer of something more substantial than the baseless partisan witch hunt of the kind that Republicans adore. I advise you to skip it entirely.
In fact, the outline of the real story is pretty damn simple. Heres whats happening:
1. In 2004, Jane Sanders, Bernies wife, became the president of Burlington College in Vermont. She orchestrated the purchase of lakefront property at a discount from a Roman Catholic diocese who were financially burdened by lawsuits. It was a bad moveshe had to take out a bunch of loans from various quarters, and the anticipated financial benefits never materialized. The deal was finalized in 2010, and Sanders was forced out in 2011, partly because of financial matters, and partly because of personal conflicts. Burlington College closed in 2016. It seems fair to say that Jane Sanders was not the ideal leader for this institution.
2. Brady Toensing, a Republican apparatchik in Vermont who chaired Trumps campaign in the state and has never liked Bernie Sanders, managed to get federal investigators involved, and soon introduced allegations (with absolutely no supporting evidence) that Bernie Sanders used his position as Senator to exert pressure on certain banks to approve the loans for the land deal. Toensing is famous for launching attacks on Democrats in the state, including the former Governorhe even tried to nail Bernie Sanders on a bogus campaign finance charge in 2016, and his mom was one of the Benghazi power playersbut this is frivolous even by his standards, which well see in a moment.
3. This, in turn, forced the Sanders to hire lawyers. Jaffe, or some editor, decided to title his article Jane Sanders Lawyers Up, as though hiring a lawyer is an implication of guilt.
4. If Trump really wanted to stick it to Sanders, he could appoint someone like Toensing as U.S. Attorney for Vermont, and Toensing could go full Benghazi with this thing.
Buried deep in the Politico story is Toensing's admission that:
"The evidence for that charge seems to be thin, at best. According to sources familiar with the matter, the alleged pressure may have simply been a casual suggestionperhaps chatter by a Sanders staffer over lunch, instead of a written document or emailand though such a suggestion might still be improper, it would be difficult to prove a direct connection to the senator."
I recommend reading the Paste mag story, NOT the Politico smear piece.
KTM
(1,823 posts)And a certain contingent here eats it up like Trumpies gobble fake news.
MuseRider
(34,111 posts)to have so much time to refight and refight and refight the liberal here.
It isn't his turn or something.
juxtaposed
(2,778 posts)R B Garr
(16,954 posts)Do they have something against Bernie?
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Hassin Bin Sober
(26,330 posts)Bradley Toensing is the spawn of Victoria Toensing and Joe Degenova - they have been chasing the Clintons around with a hatchet for twenty years. Most recently, their pet project has been Hillary Clinton and Benghazi.
The bank didn't raise a beef.
The Catholic Diocese didn't raise a beef.
And no parishioner raised a beef. Except for some republican stooge claiming to be an aggrieved church member - a former candidate for republican treasurer.
Note: this response isn't for you. You already know this. It's for anybody interested. You keep working that chicken.
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)And if I told you to keep working a chicken, my post would get hidden.
And what do you insist I already know?? lol, this is why these conspiracy theories are not credible.
emulatorloo
(44,131 posts)We all know what assholes the Toensings and Degenova are. Professional Dem haters.
VTDigger is reporting on witnesses who have been contacted by the FDIC and FBI, not gullibly relying on Toensing..
I hope to hell the Sanders get cleared. It is counterproductive to claim there's no investigation.
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,330 posts)He started feeding his work to VTD. (See politico article)
No one is saying there is no investigation. I'm certainly not. Heck, I'm not even claiming this is a "security review".
This one of those, what do you call it? Nothing burgers? At least this one won't blow up in our face at the worst possible moment.
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)that is implausible, and that is being polite.
And the Politico article doesn't say what you said it did. You should read it again before insulting people just because you don't like what is being reported.
emulatorloo
(44,131 posts)Not relying on Toensing. They have a decent rep for political reporting as I understand it.
That being said I am glad I found somebody who loathes Joe Degenova and Vicky Toensing as much as I do.
My expectation is Jane will be cleared by the investigation. I think she made mistakes but she had no intention of any wrongdoing.
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,330 posts)I highly doubt this will come to anything.
I'm going on thirty years in consumer lending and commercial/residential real estate lending/underwriting/originating. Not sure how they are going to nail anyone down on what they were future promised for if come maybe donations.
emulatorloo
(44,131 posts)that sounds like a optimistic mistake rather than anything intentional. So yeah I agree this will likely come to nothing.
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)darn near everyone in Arkansas to get dirt on the Clintons. Nice to see your concern for the Clintons and all they endured with the ratfuckers. They got attacked from *all* directions.
Demsrule86
(68,586 posts)been pledged to the college on bank documents and it is further alleged that Sen. Sanders pressured the bank to approve the loan. I have no idea what the truth is, but you can't lie on mortgage documents. It is illegal...a federal crime.
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)claiming. As has been said here, Toensing picked up stories from the Vermont papers. He wasn't "feeding" them "work". LOL. So answer the question: Do the Vermont newspapers have something against Bernie? I would think not.
"On July 7, 2014, Seven Days, a Vermont alternative weekly newspaper, published a deeply reported piece by Alicia Freese about Burlington Colleges plummeting fortunes. The New England Association of Schools and Colleges had put it on probation because of the schools shaky finances. The college was about to sell off land to defray its mounting debt.
Two weeks after Freeses piece appeared, Toensing requested loan documents from the Vermont Educational and Health Buildings Finance Agency that had issued the $6.5 million bonds for the land."
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)This story was first reported by Vermont newspapers. But...at least it's nice to see the sudden concern for the Clintons as this hits the papers...
George II
(67,782 posts)"In January 2016, after reporting by VTDigger showing former Burlington College President Jane Sanders overstated pledged donations in applying for a loan so the school could purchase its former North Avenue campus, Republican lawyer Brady Toensing made a formal request to the U.S. attorney for a fraud investigation."
Toensing made his formal request AFTER VTDigger reported on the questionable pledges.
hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)Buckeye_Democrat
(14,855 posts)The long trickling of negativity that seeps into the minds of the average Joe, who doesn't fact-check or follow politics very closely, pays off for them.
I really hope that people like Al Gore, another long-time pariah of right-wing media, never wins the Democratic nomination again. It'll be the same result... a loss.
global1
(25,253 posts)their killing healthcare bill that rewards the rich at the expense of everyone else. Sanders, Pelosi, Comey, Obama, Hillary and the Dems in general. They don't want to have to talk healthcare or defend what they're doing.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Link to tweet
Can add more later that is more relevant, but they attack HRC supporters and Dems all the damn time.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)sheshe2
(83,790 posts)emulatorloo
(44,131 posts)And I was a Sanders primary supporter. All of his rhetoric was negative bullshit personal attacks.
emulatorloo
(44,131 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)A detail of something not getting a retraction. Literally using that to cast shade on all their reporting of Russia. Pathetic anti-Dem propaganda.
democratisphere
(17,235 posts)This is a taste of what HRC has endured for the last 30 years.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)sheshe2
(83,790 posts)Thanks for the link bettyellen.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Sounds like a familiar combo of anti-Dem propaganda to me.
LongTomH
(8,636 posts)I didn't cross-check to see whether it ran content criticizing figures within the Democratic party.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paste_(magazine)
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Or Buzzfeed would stop printing total nonsense?
Paste is garbage. They're muddying the waters and generating distrust toward other media while misquoting people themselves. They are not Dem friendly.
lapucelle
(18,275 posts)right up until election day, and they're still at it.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/search?t=hillary%20clinton&m=Features
emulatorloo
(44,131 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,735 posts)Looks like the Republicans are trying to play the old divide and conquer. First they wanted us to cut Pelosi loose, and now it looks like they're trying to resurrect the divisions from the primary.
I hope we are smart enough to see through their power play.
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Paste is a part of the problem.
tallahasseedem
(6,716 posts)That is all.
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)It was reported in a Vermont outlet. Please show me the consistent right wing bias of the Vermont paper against Sanders.
Nice talking points they have provided. Those who view Sanders as a deity needed them. Maybe Sanders will feel he should be transparent and release ten or so years of his full tax returns. That might make some of us feel a little more at ease with him. Maybe the are a part of the FBI investigation. Or maybe Jane is "amending" them.
He is still a pretty insignificant player in the senate. I doubt republicans will go after him. They greatly appreciate Sanders attacks on Democrats.
One issue and they think the Republicans are swinging. Just more proof he couldn't handle one step in the shoes of someone like Clinton or Pelosi.
lovemydogs
(575 posts)I believe they are the ones with the dump Pelosi campaign.
Right at the same time as the dubious story on Bernie.
Schumer will be next
lovemydogs
(575 posts)Seems he's been writing hit articles on Sanders for years
sarge43
(28,941 posts)Big nothing burger then. Another burger today.
Next they'll bring up Sanders applying for conscientious objector status and he honeymooned in Russia.
elmac
(4,642 posts)just in case he got elected or for a rainy day, like now. Rotten fascist pigs.
Persisted
(290 posts)But he hasn't.
Response to LongTomH (Original post)
Post removed
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)Trial_By_Fire
(624 posts)"DU Sanders Hate Club"? why would he say that?
R B Garr
(16,954 posts)bettyellen
(47,209 posts)Trial_By_Fire
(624 posts)What a coincidence....
bettyellen
(47,209 posts)hrmjustin
(71,265 posts)It is a legit investigation.
napi21
(45,806 posts)expect Bernie to run again in 2020? If they do, then I say GO FOR IT, idiots! Hope you spend MILLIONS on your venture!