‘Bernie the Bundler’ Struck by Scandal

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders may soon find himself the subject of an investigation into whether he broke campaign finance law in order to hand big bucks to a friend and political ally in Vermont.

Brady Toensing, a litigation attorney and campaign finance expert, asked Vermont’s attorney general in a letter Monday to open an investigation into reporting violations and “campaign finance violations involving an in-kind donation.”

“This is something that Senator Sanders rails against. He rails against money in politics, but what this reveals is what he’s really railing against are opposing views.”

In the letter, Toensing details how Sanders used his massive campaign email list to raise funds “far in excess” of state contribution limits for Vermont State Rep. Christopher Pearson. Toensing asked for accountability in the matter, claiming that in addition to possibly violating campaign finance regulations, Pearson may now be unduly accountable to Sanders.

“The Sanders campaign’s improper use of its multi-million address email list (mostly with people from outside Vermont) violates both the letter and the spirit of the law,” Toensing wrote in the letter, adding that Pearson “will be beholden to and do exactly as he is told by Senator Sanders and his staff.”

“I think it’s important because we have an individual who’s seeking to have an outsized, an undue impact on this election and on the politics of Vermont. It’s totally inappropriate. It’s dragging money from places outside of our state to change the very nature of our state,” Toensing told LifeZette. “This is something that Senator Sanders rails against. He rails against money in politics, but what this reveals is what he’s really railing against are opposing views.”

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Toensing also rebuked Sanders for his hypocrisy in selectively ensuring that his messages get “out there” to the exclusion of all others in the Vermont election.

“[Sanders has] shown that his message is incapable of surviving as part of a vigorous debate, so he wants to silence any contrary views and get his own out there without any opposition,” Toensing said. “I mean, to bring in a record-setting amount of money to a local Senate legislative race is really mind-boggling. It is altering this entire election and it’s going to alter state politics here in Vermont. And I’m sure that’s what the intent is, but it’s doing it in an illegal way. And totally violates both the letter and the spirit of the laws, of campaign finance laws.”

Toensing told LifeZette that the Office of the Attorney General in Vermont would be meeting with his staff Wednesday to determine the proper protocol for the best course of action to take.

These allegations come for Sanders after a brutal and soul-crushing defeat in his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination against Hillary Clinton this year. Adding insult to injury, Sanders must now deal with legions of fervent supporters who viewed him as a champion for the poor and middle classes and an antagonist of the corrupt political establishment.

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The Sanders campaign immediately tried to make excuses and dismiss the allegations as preposterous and politically charged.

“The senator is obviously well within his rights to endorse candidates and recommend to his supporters that they contribute to other candidates,” Michael Briggs, a spokesman for Sanders, wrote in an email to The Burlington Free Press. “This is common fundraising approach which is done by Democrats and Republicans every day all over the country.”

Pearson himself also rejected the allegations of wrongdoing.

“The simplest way of thinking about it is Bernie hosted a digital house party for me, and a bunch of his supporters decided to contribute to my campaign,” Pearson said, according to The Burlington Free Press. “I think [Toensing’s] kind of using me as the latest conduit to harass Bernie.”