Sanders Says His Wife Did Nothing Wrong. What's This About?

[TomCADem]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by NH Ethylene (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: NBC News

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has been getting asked a lot lately about something that happened seven years ago — a complicated 2010 land deal involving a small Vermont college run at the time by his wife, Jane.

The reason Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been parrying reporters' questions is a reported federal probe into his wife's handling of the matter.

The Washington Post reported earlier this month that Department of Justice officials are collecting evidence connected to alleged unfulfilled donation promises made by Jane Sanders during her tenure as president of Burlington Collegethat allowed the school to secure millions of dollars in financing to buy more land.

And a federal law enforcement official confirmed that authorities are investigating the deal, The New York Times reported, while Politico said in late June that FBI agents had begun collecting "hard drives, audit reports and spreadsheets" belonging to the college as part of a probe that had been going on for at least 18 months.

Read more: http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/sanders-says-his-wife-did-nothing-wrong-whats-this-about/ar-AAoytRA

[msongs]

1. not lbn its analysis nt

[Doug the Dem]

3. Agreed

If you click the link and read through, it's clearly analysis.

[SunSeeker]

8. NBC has it as a headline right now in their Political News section.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sanders-says-his-wife-did-nothing-wrong-what-s-about-n782386

[Vinca]

2. They are claiming the right wing, Sanders-hating accuser is making a false claim.

The FBI is investigating so if Bernie is correct we'll find out eventually. I think there's a good chance this was a GOP smear job, but we'll see.

[pnwmom]

4. Jane Sanders should explain why she reported a million dollar bequest (verified by the donor and

her accountant, to be given upon death at some unknown date in the future) as an unconditional donation, to be divided over several years.

[SunSeeker]

6. She won't.

In a report this year, VTDigger.org identified the confirmed $1 million donor, listed on college documents as "CBM," as Corinne Bove Maietta.
...
Maietta said in an interview with VTDigger.org, however, that it was a bequest upon her death and not a donation. Maietta said she gave less than $100,000 in donations.
...
Sanders declined to comment on the "CBM" donation. 

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2017/07/21/unraveling-jane-sanders-burlington-college-legacy/486054001/

[unc70]

9. Thank you for the clarifications

Needed a little balanced info. Mostly we get info from those still re fighting the primaries.

[VermontKevin]

10. I'm no fan of Sanders. But the Republicans have a motive in taking him down.

The only thing I care about is keeping that Senate seat either with a Democrat, or a Democratic ally.

[pnwmom]

11. Accordant to your link, the Diocese took the "home" to court to get them evicted.

"HowardCenter lost its previous home in a Catholic Diocese building on North Avenue when the property was sold to Burlington College. The diocese took the case to court to get the HowardCenter evicted."

So I'm not sure why you're blaming the Diocese. The college knew about the existence of the home when they purchased the property.

And there is still the problem that Jane appears to have falsely stated that a bequest was a donation.

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/can-the-catholic-diocese-boot-a-group-home-from-its-north-avenue-property-a-judge-will-decide/Content?oid=2142769

Last Wednesday, the diocese filed suit in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington, asking a judge to rule on the legality of its eviction notice. The diocese claims it issued a proper emergency lease-termination notice last May, giving HowardCenter six months to vacate the property. In September, HowardCenter questioned the legality of the diocese’s notice in hopes of buying extra time to find a new group-home location. The initial deadline eviction deadline was November 30. The diocese and college have allowed HowardCenter to remain longer, but appear to be losing patience. Howard-Center is now saying its clients may need to stay on the property until summer.

Rather than negotiate further, the diocese decided to call the question.

“This situation was not ill intentioned but required if the Diocese was to satisfy its financial obligations,” said Father John McDermott in an email to Seven Days. “The Diocese has exerted its best efforts to assist HowardCenter in its relocation to another facility. To date, no resolution has been reached, and it appears none is forthcoming. This situation is placing both the diocese and Burlington College in a very problematic circumstance.”

[VermontKevin]

13. The diocese took them after dragging its feet for a year. I think they should have

relocated all the clients before turning over the property, or been more upfront with Burlington about the terms of the lease.

I think the mistake Burlington made was not having the clients out before accepting the loan. Lots of bad decision making.

The loan default itself wasn't triggered by the donation/bequest controversy. It was triggered in the Summer of 2011 by the continued private use. The strategic reserve was depleted, and that's when I think the Trustee's discovered the donation/bequest problem. That means there's more to this than we've known.

Understand what I'm saying: the loan defaulted BEFORE Sanders left. Before, not after.

[pnwmom]

15. The Diocese was up front with Burlington. No one buys a multi million dollar property

without exercising due diligence and checking the terms of any existing leases. The college went ahead with the purchase knowing HowardCenter was still there, and Jane agreed to let HowardCenter stay past the date specified in the eviction notice. That was her mistake and can't be blamed on the Diocese.

Also as your link reported, HowardCenter brought the lawsuit as a means of buying time -- not because something was wrong with the eviction. Two months later they announced a new location and the case was settled.

[pnwmom]

20. Yes, it is big -- and underreported. Thanks for shedding some light on this. n/t

[thesquanderer]

14. re: "a perjury trap by using her public statements "

Perjury only applies to statements made under oath (or similarly sworn in a document). Simply making a public statement does not open one up to perjury charges if proved false.

That doesn't mean there can't be any consequences for false public statements... people can be sued for libel/slander, or for civil damages if their false statements led people to lose money.

[VermontKevin]

18. You are quoting something I never wrote.

18 USC Sec 1001 does not require a statement under oath. It's still generally known as a perjury trap, even though that's a misnomer. Why do you think Ari Fleischer wants Donald Trump to stop tweeting and talking?

Link to tweet

I'm betting Jane Sanders signed the bank loan documents, though.

[George II]

12. What's curious (as reported in the Burlington Free Press) is that there were only about....

....$2.6M in firm pledges. Of that $2.6M, $1M was the bequest that would be paid when the donor died, and another $1M was a matching pledge if $1M was pledged, which was the bequest.

So $2M was tied up awaiting the death of one donor.

[pnwmom]

16. I didn't know about that second million. Wow. All that depended on one woman dying --

and she's still alive!

[George II]

17. The full article is here:

(warning, there are video ads that start with LOUD sound and you can't stop them, turn sound off first)

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2017/07/21/unraveling-jane-sanders-burlington-college-legacy/486054001/

Excerpt:

At the heart of the property deal was a list of donations, including $2.6 million in confirmed money and another $2.5 million in unconfirmed pledges.

The list included $2 million that never materialized.

"At this time, we have a firm commitment of $1 million from one donor and a verbal commitment for an additional $1 million from another donor," Sanders and Plunkett wrote in the financing application.

In a report this year, VTDigger.org identified the confirmed $1 million donor, listed on college documents as "CBM," as Corinne Bove Maietta.

In the 2010 financing application, Sanders and Plunkett said Maietta pledged to give $1 million over the next seven years.

Maietta said in an interview with VTDigger.org, however, that it was a bequest upon her death and not a donation. Maietta said she gave less than $100,000 in donations.

"You can't borrow money on the future," Maietta said, according to the report. "That doesn’t exist."

The college's financial audit on June 30, 2011 appears to confirm that the pledge was an estate gift.

The second $1 million "verbal commitment," listed in the bond application under the initials "TP," was a matching donation from Tony Pomerleau. His gift was contingent on the college receiving $1 million from another donor.

[Me.]

5. Read It Here

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/local/2017/07/21/unraveling-jane-sanders-burlington-college-legacy/486054001/

[Sunlei]

21. She did nothing wrong. This just helps Ds fight and divide themselves.

Like savvy Republicans say- don't engage Ds, stand back and let them tear themselves up.

[left-of-center2012]

23. Old news. Not --- LATE BREAKING NEWS !!!

Just another regurgitated attack/analysis piece on Sanders.

Let's move on,
and unite to fight the GOP in 2018 and 2020.

[Chemisse]

24. Locking

This is analysis and could be reposted in GD or A & E.

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