A federal investigation of Jane Sanders has been concluded without any charges, according to a Sanders’ spokesperson.
Jeff Weaver, a longtime aide to Sen. Bernie Sanders, made the announcement in a statement Tuesday.
“Jane Sanders has been informed that the U.S. Attorney in Vermont has closed its investigation of the Burlington College land deal and has decided not to bring charges of any kind,” Weaver said.
“Jane is grateful that the investigation has come to an end. As she has said from the beginning she has done nothing wrong and Jane is pleased that the matter has now come to a conclusion,” according to Weaver’s statement.
Sanders, the wife of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had been under investigation in connection with her role in the 2010 sale of property in Burlington owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese to Burlington College, where she served as president.
In a 2015 investigation by VTDigger.org, donors said Jane Sanders inflated how much money they had agreed to give the college when she was trying to secure a $6.7 million bank loan to buy the waterfront property, where the college moved.
Burlington College closed in 2016 after what trustees said was the “crushing weight of the debt” caused by the land deal.
Sanders resigned as college president in 2011 amid questions by trustees about the land purchase. Sanders had projected a significantly higher enrollment to support the expansion.
A spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan said he could not confirm or deny an investigation had even happened. Numerous trustees and others have reported being interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“We don’t confirm or deny the existence of an investigation or that an investigation was in play. I don’t have any information for you,” said Kraig Laporte of the U.S. Attorney’s office in Burlington.
“I understand your concern,” Laporte said when asked about the credibility of the Weaver statement. “I can say we do communicate with represented parties, but I can’t comment relative to your inquiry.”
“We can’t control what people say,” Laporte said.
Weaver said Jane Sanders was notified of the fed’s decision through her attorneys.
The Sanders have said the investigation was politically motivated. Bernie Sanders ran for president in 2016 and is considering another run.
The federal investigation was triggered by questions raised by Charlotte attorney Brady Toensing, a Vermont Republican Party official, in 2016.
“It is a shame Burlington College Students, the Catholic Diocese, hard-working Vermont tradesmen, and others lost so much as a result of Ms. Sanders’ misconduct, but I am pleased that the matter was professionally investigated and assessed,” Toensing said Tuesday.
“Criminal standards are extremely high, but now that the investigation is over, I look forward to a full explanation from Senator Sanders and his wife about the financial discrepancies in her loan application and the Senator’s involvement in procuring the loan,” Toensing said.
Toensing had claimed Bernie Sanders had pressured the bank during the loan process, a charge the senator and his wife vigorously disputed.
Jane and Bernie Sanders “refused to answer questions because they said there was an investigation ongoing. Now that it’s over, they can answer,” Toensing said.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Jane Sanders says federal investigation has concluded without any charges.