“Had a corporation used its resources to similarly benefit a candidate for office, Senator Sanders would be rightly howling in protest,” Toensing wrote in a formal request for an investigation addressed to attorney general Bill Sorrell. “Regardless of whether someone agrees with Senator Sanders’s political views, the law was written so that no one person could have such an outsized and improper influence over a Vermont politician or election.”
Toensing’s four-page letter to Sorrell says Vermont campaign finance law was broken when Sanders’ presidential campaign sent an email to 5 million supporters soliciting donations for Pearson and other progressive candidates.
Sanders described Pearson to supporters in the email as “a champion on the issues of livable wages, strong labor union advocacy, climate change, and voting rights.”
The email quickly generated more than 12,000 donations to Pearson, who said he was stunned by the outpouring of support. In the August 9 primary, Pearson cruised to victory along with four Democratic incumbent senators who represent Chittenden County.
Toensing estimates the value of the list at $5 million and says that sum far exceeds the state contribution cap of $1,500 for state senate candidates.
While Sanders did not directly contribute to Pearson, Toensing says the email appeal was an in-kind contribution to Pearson. Toensing quoted Vermont’s campaign finance laws, which define in-kind contributions as “gifts of ‘anything of value’ given to a candidate for the purpose of influencing an election.”
Sorrell, who was out of the office Tuesday because of the state holiday Bennington Battle Day, said he had received the letter, and he would look it over with his colleagues on Wednesday.
Pearson said he saw Toensing’s letter as another example of the Republican lawyer’s attempt to discredit Sanders and his family. In January, Toensing called for a federal probe into alleged fraud by Jane Sanders in her time as president of Burlington College.
“This guy has a history of harassing Sen. Sanders,” Pearson said. “He is now using me to continue that. These allegations are ludicrous.”
Pearson said that Toensing’s charge that he would be “beholden” to Sanders if elected was ridiculous, and he defended the fundraising email as a grassroots, transparent way to bring in cash.
“In a way, I think of it as Bernie hosted a digital house party for me, and several thousand of his supporters came to support me,” Pearson said.
